


It's Always Greener on the Other Side (of the Ocean)

by mem45



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Vacation, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-11-12 11:03:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11160555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mem45/pseuds/mem45
Summary: Vacation AU - Two months after the Daxamite invasion, Kara's phone goes off - it's her calendar, reminding her of the trip to Europe her and Mon-El had planned in an attempt to revitalize their relationship. The day before the flight and with no potential travel partner, Kara asks Lena to come along. Both Kara and Lena have been harboring secret crushes on one another for months, how will they survive two weeks alone together in Europe without realizing their true feelings?------Starts where the season 2 finale left off, following canon so far. Mainly focuses on Kara and Lena, with a few other characters mixed in.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thank you for reading! This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic, so please let me know if you enjoyed it or have any suggestions. I have planned it out as a multi-chapter fic, perhaps 10 chapters, if anyone would like to see where it goes! I do unfortunately address Mon-El's presence, to bridge the fic with the end of season 2, but after this chapter he will be rarely (if ever) mentioned.

“So,” Lena begins slowly, taking a long sip of her soymilk cappuccino in order to further put off the seemingly unavoidable question that had been looming over the heads of both her and Kara since they sat down for brunch. “How are you?”

While normally this question would be innocent enough, something one would ask to fill the space during an awkward encounter with a high-school friend, Lena knew this was the question Kara was dreading. Ever since no other person than Lena herself sent Mon-El from Earth, Kara and Lena’s friendship had taken a noticeable hit. It began the first night, when Lena waited hopefully in her office (since not even Kara had yet to visit her apartment) for Kara to return. Although she anticipated this visit was not going to be lighthearted, Lena yearned to conform Kara, wrap her hands around her toned yet warm figure, and vow to be there for her. Always. Just as Kara had promised to do for her. But she never came. Finally, after nearly one month of unbearable silence, Lena received a message: “Brunch tomorrow?”

After that first reconnection, Kara and Lena reinstated their casual, but frequent encounters. Aware of Lena’s tendency to overwork and get so caught up in a project that she forgets about human necessities like eating and sleeping, Kara would drop by her office once or twice a week with a sandwich from the local bakery and a chamomile tea. On top of that, they had a standing brunch date every Sunday morning. Although their conversation topics were never lacking in variety, there was one topic that never arose: Mon-El. Lena was always curious as to why Kara never mentioned him, but let it slide nevertheless.

One month later, in the midst of one of their above mentioned brunch dates, Kara and Lena were deep in conversation about a new project Lena was working on with a climate change geographer in Northern Norway.

Kara’s phone vibrated loudly, slightly shaking their silverware and prompting both Kara and Lena to realize they had been unconsciously leaning closer towards each other and subtly shift away in their seats.

“Shit!” Kara shouted out at a volume unsuitable for Sunday morning brunch, and immediately clamped her hand over her mouth in horror, at her voice volume more so than the news itself. “I had completely forgotten about this.”

“What’s the matter? I mean, for you to swear, not to mention in public, it must be something rather shocking.” Lena questioned, smirking slightly at Kara’s overly horrified face.

“Well, I’m not sure if I mentioned this,” Kara began slowly, “but Mon-El and I had planned to go away together. Our relationship was rocky from the start, as you know, and he surprised me with these plane tickets a few weeks before he…uh… left.” Since they had reinstated their weekly brunch dates, Kara always avoided bringing up the topic of Mon-El. It wasn’t that it was too hard for her to talk about – no, not at all. She navigated around the topic for Lena’s sake, as she knew Lena still held a lot of guilt from the experience of being the one responsible for shipping her best friend’s boyfriend from Earth. “My calendar just sent me a notification that these flights are tomorrow evening.”

At the sound of his name, Lena’s expression hardened and Kara could sense the pain and guilt, which Lena always hid behind a façade of coldness, bubbling towards the surface. “Oh.”

At the sight of Lena’s change in demeanor, Kara resisted the urge to move her chair over to Lena’s side of the table and grab her hand. The strength of this urge reminded Kara of the other topic she tried her best to push out of her head during these brunch dates. It started a few months ago, when Kara walked into Lena’s office and found Lillian Luthor sitting on her office couch, looking up at Lena with a cold, fond gaze. In that moment, Kara realized that there were truly no limits to what she would do to protect Lena. Not only protect her from being physically injured, as Supergirl, but emotionally as well. And a question flitted through her head: if you were forced to make the choice, would you rather Mon-El or Lena remain on earth? The thought terrified Kara, as the answer was clear: Lena.

“Anyway,” Kara started, eager to change the subject “It really doesn’t matter. The flights were super cheap, and I think I can cancel the hotel, or maybe I could give the tickets to someone at the DE—, I mean someone at CATCO…”

“Where were you two planning on traveling?” Lena cut Kara’s ramblings short.

“We were going to fly from National City to Paris, and then spend a week there before heading to a couple of places in the South of Italy. You know, the Amalfi coast? I’ve never been to either Italy or France before, surprisingly.”

Lena shot her an inquisitive look, “Why is that surprising?”

Kara swore internally and racked her brain for a reasonable answer. It’s not like she could respond with, “well, actually, I could fly across the Atlantic ocean in less than five minutes for free, so there is really no excuse for me not travelling with the exception of the fact that the people of National City count on me to keep their city safe, oh, and by the way, I’m Supergirl.”

Two almost slip-ups in a conversation were a lot, but every time Lena looked at Kara with her warm, yet terrifyingly powerful gaze that made Kara question whether Lena was truly human, Kara felt as though she was nearly being hypnotized. For the few seconds that their eyes connected, Kara believed that Lena could see right through her, literally to the crest on her chest, and that lying to Lena about her true identity, once again, was pointless.

Nevertheless, she fumbled through an explanation: “Well my adopted parents are scientists, and they often had to go to conferences, but they always refused to take Alex and I since they didn’t want us to miss too much school.” Kara smiled to herself, for coming up with such a reasoned response.

“Ah, I see.” Lena responded, accepting Kara’s explanation.

Lena sat back in her chair and turned to absentmindedly gaze at the skyline of National City while the sun slowly rose over the glass towers. Since Lena liked to work a few hours most weekends in order to get prepared for the week, they usually had brunch at what Kara considered to be an unbearable hour – but since it was for Lena, Kara had no complaints. They had opted for brunch at LCorp this Sunday around, which had become easier since Lena had invested in a small table and two chairs for her balcony in order to accommodate both her ridiculously busy schedule as CEO and the increasing frequency of her and Kara’s meals together.

Kara tried desperately to focus on her scrambled eggs, and not the way the sun rising over National City gave Lena’s dark hair golden streaks and cast shadows over the sharp edges of her jaw line. If she was being utterly honest, she was disappointed about missing the trip. She had spent weeks perusing through guidebooks, reading through food blogs and picking restaurants that looked incredible, but also wouldn’t require her to get a new job simply to afford the inordinate amount she needed to eat. Her and Alex had worked hard to create an emergency plan so that Supergirl could be back in the city in minutes if there was an emergency, while J’onn and James could protect the city from smaller crime. Since she had become Supergirl, she had never left the city for this long.

“Lena…?” Kara spoke slowly, feeling insecure about the idea slowly forming in her head, “Why don’t you come with me? Everything is already paid for and booked under my name anyway, all I’d have to do is call the airline and change the second passenger name.”

Lena was surprised by the offer, she expected with Mon-El gone Kara would be no longer interested in going. She quickly weighed the pros and cons; in this case the categories were nearly identical. Pro: she would be able to spend two weeks with Kara, alone, removed from the stress of her life in National City. Con: she would be spending two weeks alone with Kara. Kara, who she had been wanting to ask on a date since the day they met. All her, perhaps too subtle, attempts failed; the flowers, inviting her personally to the party in the fall (which she continues to believe failed because of Mon-El’s need to invite himself). All of this build up, yet Lena had no idea whether Kara was even interested in women, let alone her.

“Oh Kara I couldn’t.” Lena gave her a nervous smile, looking down and running her fingers through her hair. “It’s such a generous offer and I would love nothing more than to leave everything behind and lie on the beach with you for days, but I have to work, I’m sorry.”

Kara blushed at the idea of her and Lena lounging together, in bathing suits, on the beach. She could barely picture Lena in sweatpants, let alone on a beach relaxing. “Couldn’t Jess arrange for you to do most of your meetings over skype? I mean, even a CEO needs a vacation sometimes?” Kara didn’t want to push Lena, but she was becoming more and more enticed by the idea.

Lena’s brow crinkled deep in thought. “Well, I guess that is possible, all I had planned for the next two weeks were meetings really anyway.”  
“You’ll come?” Kara asked hopefully.

"I’ll come.” Having made her decision, Lena looked up and gave Kara a warm smile.

“Perfect!” Kara nearly jumped out of her chair with enthusiasm. “It will be great. No stress, or responsibilities, just an innocent girls trip!”

Lena raised her eyebrow and gave Kara a teasing glance: “Well, if you say it’s going to be innocent I may have to retract my decision then.”

Kara could feel how embarrassingly quickly her cheeks were turning rose-colored once again, so she looked at the floor and pretended to adjust her glasses to hide her face.

“I’m teasing, I absolutely can’t wait. I haven’t been back to France since college.”

“Neither can I,” replied Kara.

The two women looked directly into each other’s eyes and lingered for a few seconds, feeling the intensity of the connection. Kara didn’t believe in soulmates, but in these moments she felt that the connection between her and Lena was more natural, and almost inevitably in a sense, compared to any other person she had dated. They were friend-mates, thought Kara. Friend soulmates. She smiled to herself for explaining this connection, and tried to shake the thought that arose at times like this that she wanted more, than to be just friends.

“Well,” Kara said, breaking the spell, “I better get going. It’s going to be a busy Sunday, not busy like yours of course, but I probably should start packing, doing laundry, which I need to do before I start packing actually…”

“I will see you tomorrow then. Shall I meet you at your apartment and we can travel to the airport together?”

“Sounds great.”

Lena stood up, smoothed out her long black pencil skirt which had begun to acquire wrinkles from the lengthy time sitting, and leaned in to give Kara a hug.

Kara panicked, afraid that if she was to hug Lena she would be unable to deny her true feelings any longer. The past two times the pair had embraced had been one of the best moments of Kara’s day, or likely even year. Kara stuck her hand out for a handshake, immediately regretting that decision and feeling very uncomfortable.

Lena looked taken aback for a moment, and then took Kara’s right hand in hers. Their hands held still.

Kara gave Lena a small smile, turned, and walked briskly out of Lena’s office. Once she was in the hallway she took deep breaths, trying desperately to bring down her body temperature, which she felt had increasingly elevated over the past two hours. Thank Rao, she thought, Lena had no idea about the effect her mere presence had.

 

* * *

 

After dealing with a few small Supergirl tasks: bank robbers, small house fires - nothing out of the ordinary - Kara rushed to Alex’s apartment to update her on the developments that had ensued during that morning’s brunch.

“Alex!” called Kara as she bounded through the door, too exuberant to even consider knocking and waiting.

It took Alex, who was sitting curled up in front of Netflix, a few moments to react. Kara felt at twang of guilt for interrupting Alex’s “Brain-Off Time” – her code for the few hours she had in a week to do absolutely nothing that involved mental energy – but she knew this was too important to wait.

“Do you remember that whole trip Mon-El and I had planned?”

“Hah, how could I forgot the day we dedicated to meticulously timing your speed and calculating the average direction and speed of the winds over the Atlantic Ocean in order to make sure you could make it back in under five minutes. It was undeniably, the most riveting day of my life.” Alex teased lightly, as she walked over to the kitchen and began boiling water for pasta.

Kara skipped after her. “You’ll be happy to hear, then, that it wasn’t a waste! I asked Lena if she’d like a short vacation, and she agreed, so I am going after all!” Kara had planned to announce her new plans a bit more hesitantly, in case Alex still harbored some completely ludicrous thought that Lena had secret evil intentions, but her inner enthusiasm got the best of her.

Alex barely reacted at all, picking up a package of rotini and tossing its contents into the boiling pot. After a moment, she turned slightly and gave Kara a warm, knowing glance. “Well, this should be interesting.”

On her way to Alex’s, Kara had decided her sister would react in one of two ways: either jump into a rant about Lena’s family name or start going over the practicalities immediately. This reaction was, however, quite unexpected.

Kara stammered, trying to think of an adequate response. Alex turned to face her sister, and placed both of her hands on her shoulders. Smiling, she said, “You’ll see.”

Kara thought the best response in this situation was denial. She knew Maggie was coming over to join Alex for dinner, and didn’t want to embark on a potentially embarrassing and long conversation about her long term, silent, pining for Lena Luthor. “I have absolutely no idea why you’re being so cryptic,” Kara said, throwing her hands up in frustration and walking towards the door, “but I should head home and start packing. Regardless of your opinions on this trip, could you drive us to the airport tomorrow? Lena didn’t want to use her driver to avoid the press."

“See you tomorrow sis,” replied Alex, still smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 2! Kara and Lena’s last day in National City before they depart. I am painting Alex as a bit of an enthusiastic and mischievous Supercorp shipper, and I realize that may be overdone/not be how the plot would proceed according to canon, but I find that dynamic works with the state of denial both Lena and Kara are in currently in regards to their relationship. 
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at mtheherbivore.tumblr.com if you have any comments or just want to chat! I have the next chapters planned loosely and would love to hear your ideas.

At 7:00 the next morning, Kara opened her eyes and immediately regretted her decision to watch a movie last night and put off packing until the morning of. When it came to household chores like dishes, laundry and folding clothes, she was the ultimate procrastinator. It was likely somewhat a result of having lived alone for a while now and thus having no one other than herself to impress. She dragged herself out of bed, made coffee, got dressed, and surveyed her closet. After fifteen minutes, she was still completely unsure of what to do, and called Alex. 

“Alex! What do I pack! What is the weather like in July? Do I bring mainly comfortable things? Would a dress be too cold?”

“Kara slow down, it’s 8:00 in the morning,” groaned Alex. “Plus, it’s a casual friends trip, your appearance isn’t of great concern.”

“Please Alex, Lena is going to be here at 4 and I still have a bunch of stuff to do. Just tell me what to pack.”

“Ok, wear leggings on the plane, maybe a comfortable pair of sandals for walking, a light jacket for the evenings, oh, and a couple of your favourite dresses. You know Lena will want to take you out on the town.” Kara could hear Alex’s smirk through the phone.

“Dresses, leggings, sandals, got it.” Kara repeated distractedly. "Thanks, see you at 5!”

Kara surveyed her closet once again, and began to fill her suitcase. Taking Alex’s advice she picked out two of her favourite dresses – the first was a simple red dress with thin straps, which hung loosely and comfortably on her frame and the second was tight, black, with slits on the side near her ribcage and highlighted every curve of her body. Kara had rarely worn it out, and hesitated for a second before throwing it in the growing pile of clothes designated for packing. 

A few hours later Kara was done nearly all of her errands and was struggling to close her suitcase when she heard a quiet knock on the door. Lena. 

Upon opening the door she found Lena waiting, perfectly composed as usual, with a small beige suitcase in her left hand and the largest black purse Kara had ever seen in her right. 

“Kara!” Lena’s face lit up. “I’m so happy to see you, I barely got any rest at all last night I was too busy packing and planning.” She placed her bags to the side of the doorway and gave Kara a hug. 

Kara relaxed unconsciously into the familiar scent of Lena’s perfume. Leaning her head on Lena’s shoulder, Kara laughed, “I didn’t realize you’d be so prompt, my room is looking a bit like a small clothing tornado devastated it. I think I’ll ignore it and leave it for future Kara to deal with in two weeks.”

Lena laughed in response, moving her hands off of Kara’s back slowly. “Well, I can do my best to offer some disaster relief. Let’s see what the situation is.” Lena began moving in the direction of Kara’s bedroom.

If Lena were anyone else, Kara would not even worry for a second about the mess. How did she always look so poised, Kara sighed. Today, for example, she was wearing a fitted black dress and her beige coat – seemingly warm and dark for summer, but it had been unreasonably cold for June in National City. Not to mention Kara had begun to notice that Lena preferred to dress in colours more typically suited to winter and fall all-year round. Her dark hair was swept up into its usual perfectly structured bun, although Kara noticed that some pieces had begun to slowly come loose, perhaps, due to the stress of moving her luggage around (which was an activity Kara couldn’t imagine Lena Luthor was accustomed to). 

Kara suddenly felt very underdressed in her loose knitted sweater and leggings, but couldn’t fathom sitting in a dress for nearly ten hours on an overnight flight. 

“I think our first task should be to get your suitcase closed,” Lena stated in a decisive, yet amused tone. 

Kara moaned dramatically and flopped down onto her bed. “I’ve been trying for the past ten minutes; that suitcase and I have entered into an unresolvable dispute.” 

In reality, Kara knew she could’ve probably managed to close it if she used her super strength. However, she was worried that Lena would become suspicious if the suitcase didn’t stand the test of her Kryptonian force and was lying in pieces when she arrived. There would be little she could say to stumble her way out of that situation.

“Have you tried rolling your clothes instead of folding them? I find that can often save a lot of space.”

“No, let’s try it.” 

Lena sat down next to Kara on her bed, so closely that their arms brushed lightly. Kara felt a shiver run through her body at the sensation of Lena’s smooth skin, picking up a shirt and rolling it in order to break the contact. 

They both started rolling Kara’s clothes and placing them in the suitcase in silence, until Lena spoke abruptly: “How do you think this trip would be different if Mon-El was joining you, instead of me?” 

“Honestly, I don’t even want to consider that possibility,” Kara laughed nervously, aware that what she was about to say would cross the platonic boundary that she had established around Lena, in fear of admitting to herself the truth and the possibility of rejection. “Ever since I asked you to join me, it’s felt like this was how it was meant to unfold all along.” Kara admitted, taking a deep breath. “Mon-El and I didn’t share the same worldview, you know? It would’ve been a lot more arguing and … just worse in every way. Our relationship made me realize that I wanted more.” Kara looked at Lena shyly. 

Lena tried to absorb the significance of Kara’s words. She had no idea Kara felt that way… that being about her relationship with Mon-El, of course. This has nothing to do with me, Lena repeated internally, not affording herself even the slightest opportunity to become optimistic. 

Since the conversation had quickly become personal and serious, Kara felt that she could respond with a question of her own. “In your past relationships, did you ever go on trips together?”

“Once.” Lena replied. “After graduation, my college girlfriend and I took off to Greece for a month. It was great, at the beginning at least. After a month of only being with each other I think we realized we didn’t have very much to talk about. The physical part of our relationship had always distracted from that, mind you.” Lena smirked, raising her left eyebrow slightly. “We broke it off soon after we arrived back home.”

Kara couldn’t help but feel a twang of jealousy, picturing Lena with someone else. She had felt the same when Lena’s ex Jack returned to National City earlier in the spring. The feeling of jealously was quickly overshadowed though, by pleasant surprise. Kara had no idea that Lena was interested in women. Not that that mattered of course, for their relationship. They were friends, Kara told herself once again. 

A knock on the door reminded both Kara and Lena of the present situation. Placing the final item in her bag, Kara closed the suitcase successfully. “You resolved the crisis!” joked Kara, heading towards the door to let Alex in. 

“I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything,” Alex said mischievously. 

“We’re ready to go!” said Kara, avoiding her sister's comment altogether. “Thanks to Lena, my belongings will not be falling all over the airport nor do I have to resort to packing them in a grocery bag.” Kara gave her friend a grateful look. 

Kara and Lena picked up their bags and followed Alex to the car. 

Alex and Lena held the conversation throughout the car ride, giving Kara a chance to look out the window and think. What would things be like, once they returned to National City in two weeks time? Would they realize that their friendship wasn’t close enough to sustain interaction for that long (Kara shook that thought out of her head quickly) or … would it develop into something more? Kara granted herself a second to wistfully consider that possibility and then sighed internally for allowing herself to be so dramatic. When they returned, the reality was, everything would the same, with the exception of a few (hopefully interesting) stories to share. She tuned back in to Alex and Lena’s conversation. 

Alex was asking Lena what she was looking forward to visiting, sparking a lengthy rant from Lena about how wonderful the art museums in Paris were. Kara had rarely witnessed Lena’s eyes brighten so intensely for anything other than new developments in climate change research and other scientific innovations, and was surprised to learn that she had such a passion for visual art. Lena never ceased to surprise her, Kara thought fondly. 

They arrived at the departure section of the airport, and Alex got out to help them with their bags. 

Alex turned to face Lena. “Take good care of my sister,” Alex said, in a tone that Kara interpreted as being far too serious. 

“Always.” Replied Lena, matching Alex’s tone. 

Kara pulled Alex into a hug in an attempt to dissipate the sudden tension between her sister and Lena. Alex stroked the back of Kara’s hair and then pulled away. “Have fun. Be safe.”

“Love you, see you soon! I’ll message you once we arrive,” called Kara, walking towards the airport entrance. 

Although she thought Alex’s suspicions about her and Lena’s relationship were unfounded and her serious tone in regards to Kara’s safety was over the top, Kara knew her and her sister were due for a chat once she returned. They hadn’t really had enough time before she left, and Kara was beginning to wish she could express her confusion about her feelings for Lena to someone. 

The pair entered the airport and Lena began walking briskly in the direction of security. Kara noted that Lena adjusted her dark Ray-Bans on her face, assuring that they were firmly covering her eyes. Lena had already organized a press release stating that the LCorp CEO was out of the country for two weeks, but wanted to move as quickly and discretely through the airport as possible nonetheless to avoid coming into contact with the press. Kara overheard people whispering around them, wondering if that was Lena Luthor, but knew that without super hearing Lena wasn't likely to hear to what the voices were saying. 

Lena continued rushing through the airport, stopping briefly to face Kara with a huge grin on her face. “Are you ready?”

“Let’s go!” Kara replied.

Lena reached for her hand in response and Kara grasped it enthusiastically, allowing herself to be led through the airport.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed chapter 2! I’m a bit busy during the week with work, but I hope to have chapter 3 up by Friday at the latest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this story so far, and for the positive feedback. This is my first time writing a fanfic, and the support encourages me to continue! Also I must thank my wonderful friend Steph for reading over a draft of this chapter and writing the text conversation at the end because I am incapable of writing colloquially. 
> 
> You can find me at mtheherbivore.tumblr.com!

“We’re now boarding rows 13 to 28 for Flight 258 to Paris.” 

Kara gently tapped Lena’s shoulder. “It’s time to go.”

Once they had arrived at their gate Lena immersed herself in replying to emails on her laptop, ignoring the nearly constant stares she received from those passing by. Kara felt a bit uncomfortable, knowing that if Lena and her had planned this trip themselves, they would be flying privately and Lena wouldn’t attract all this attention. Lena hadn’t complained or mentioned it whatsoever, so Kara didn’t bring it up either. She would be relieved once they finally arrived and could leave the confines of an airport and plane. 

Lena and Kara settled in to their cramped seats in the middle of the plane, Lena taking the window seat to try and avoid contact with the other passengers. Kara had no qualms with her taking the window seat, she could see the clouds and skyline of National City whenever she liked. 

That didn’t mean she would ignore the chance to see the National City skyline, however, especially at sunset. Kara leaned against Lena’s seat, watching as the sun dropped below the tall buildings and the plane left the ground, entering the pink and orange tinged sky over National City. Kara smiled and exhaled slightly. 

“It astounds me how much someone can enjoy flying,” Lena remarked, observing Kara’s expression. 

After takeoff, the in-flight meals soon arrived (Kara’s favourite part of flying – although the meals were consistently underwhelming). She watched as Lena politely asked for a second mini-bottle of red wine along with her meal. 

“As you may remember, I hate flying.” Lena whispered, her lips nearly grazing Kara’s ear. “Red wine is undeniably not the best coping mechanism, but then I can more readily imagine that I’m on some sort of fucked up carnival ride during turbulence, and not 40,000 feet over the ground in a glorified metal box.” 

Kara closed her eyes as the feeling of Lena’s breath on her ear and the proximity of Lena’s lips sent a wave of pleasure through her body. Although Lena’s lips weren’t actually touching her, Kara could easily imagine how, if they were one inch closer, Lena’s lips would meet her upper neck. 

Lena shifted away, giving Kara a second to regain her composure. Kara gave Lena an understanding smile, and she wrapped her arm around Lena’s shoulders. “I’ll protect you.” She promised, wishing Lena knew she was Supergirl at moments like this, so she’d feel safer. If anything were to go wrong on the flight, Kara would expose herself as Supergirl to Lena in a second to keep her safe. 

After the food was taken away, the cabin lights dimmed to commence the over-night portion of the flight. Lena pulled out her laptop to complete a bit more work (after explaining to Kara that she was completely incapable of sleeping on flights) and Kara slowly fell asleep, her head shifting to lay on Lena’s shoulder. 

Lena smiled as Kara’s golden-streaked hair fell and brushed across her chest, but her expression quickly transformed into one of confusion. Turning to face the window, her eyebrows pushed together, forming a slight crinkle between her eyes. She worried that it would be too easy for her and Kara to fall into a routine with this, without ever establishing what they meant to one another. Having spent nearly the past year trying to find the right moment to finally ask her on a date, things seemed to be only getting more difficult. At times, such as now, Lena felt it was obvious Kara wanted the same: to be with her, in all senses of the word. And then at other times… Lena frowned, the vein marking the left side of her forehead slightly protruding (as it usually did when she was feeling stressed), Kara seemed distinct and unwilling to be close to her. Forcing those thoughts to dissipate, Lena refocused on her work.

A couple of hours later, Kara was awoken abruptly by shaking, and immediately glanced over at Lena. Lena’s pale skin seemed to become whiter somehow and she was looking straight ahead, unblinking, clutching both armrests of her chair. 

An announcement over the cabin intercom confirmed the reason for the disturbance: “We’re passing through a small area of turbulence, remain seated with your seatbelts firmly fastened. It should last no longer than twenty minutes.” 

Kara grasped Lena’s hand without hesitating and turned as best as she could with her seatbelt on to face her friend. Tucking a piece of Lena’s hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear gently, she tried her best to be comforting. “It’ll be over soon, don’t worry. Just close your eyes and pretend you’re on a terrible roller coaster ride, like you said earlier,” Kara whispered. 

Lena closed her eyes and a small laugh escaped her lips, which were pressed tightly together. “I hate roller coasters almost as much as I hate planes,” she admitted. 

Kara felt Lena’s grasp on her hand tighten as the shaking heightened. Lena was really strong, Kara remarked to herself, considering that her grasp might be a bit painful for another human hand. Kara started to gently brush her thumb over the top of Lena’s hand, feeling her friend’s grasp relax in response. After a few minutes the turbulence was over, and Kara saw Lena’s chest rise and fall with relief. 

“Why don’t we watch something together?” Kara offered. “I brought my computer, it has a bunch of movies. I can’t imagine working makes relaxing any easier.”

“Excellent idea. Anything you want to watch is fine with me. Unless it involves plane crashes or flying incidents of any sort.”

“Deal.” Replied Kara. “That won’t be difficult. Much to Alex’s dismay, my personal movie library is almost exclusively filled with romantic comedies and musicals. She always tries to convince me to watch some sort of action movie or thriller with her, but I think life is stressful enough.”

“Agreed.”

“What about The Holiday? It’s a bit of an awkward movie to watch in June, but it’s one of my favourites. There is a plane involved – but we can skip that part.” 

“Doesn’t that have Kate Winslet in it?” Kara nodded in response. “My friends and I watched Titanic when I was in middle school, I’m pretty sure Kate Winslet was my first teenage crush.” Lena laughed. 

Lena polished off the rest of her red wine while Kara set-up the movie. “Do you mind if I lean up against you? I’m getting quite sore from sitting in the same position.” And I really just want to be closer to you, Lena added to herself. 

“Of course.” Kara replied. 

Lena curled up on the seat, wrapping her and Kara in the small blanket given to them at the beginning of the flight. Lena relaxed into Kara’s arm, a bit hesitantly as her thoughts from earlier reentered her head, and Kara responded immediately by placing her arm around Lena’s shoulders.

Halfway through the movie, Kara noticed that Lena’s eyes were beginning to close and open at a much slower pace than her usual blinking. She quickly turned the volume down and put subtitles on the movie. As Kara had done earlier, Lena’s head naturally fell and rested in the space between Kara’s upper chest and shoulder. Kara smiled and gently shifted closer towards her, surprised that Lena had managed to fall asleep despite the stress of flying.

Lena and Kara both awoke with a start when the plane touched the ground. As they exited the plane (Lena looked visibly relieved) Kara felt a wave of tiredness hit her. Internally cursing jet lag, she followed Lena through the airport once again, grateful that jet lag did not seem to affect her friend as much and at least one of them was thinking clearly. 

“Shall we take this cab?” Lena called. 

Kara looked up, realizing that they had exited the airport, and sat alongside Lena in the backseat of a small, yellow cab. 

Kara managed to slightly ignore the extreme tiredness and regain her excitement as she watched the city flash by in the cab. She loved the short Parisian buildings (at least short compared to the buildings in National City), with their small balconies and greyish-blue roofs. She eyed people carrying bags with baguettes and other pastries eagerly, realizing that the small loaf-bread item that they received for breakfast on the plane hadn’t been sufficient in any way. The streets became more narrow and crowded with pedestrians as the cab entered the inner-city. Nearly an hour later they arrived at the hotel. 

“Wow” Kara breathed, stepping out of the cab. Their hotel was small, nestled on a street corner in the centre of Le Marais. Small dark purple flowers dotted the black metal balconies that decorated each window. 

Entering the lobby, Lena and Kara headed in the direction of the concierge desk. 

“I can ask for our key, if you’d like.” Lena offered. “I took French courses throughout college and am always keen for the chance to practice.”

“Be my guest,” Kara gestured towards the desk. 

“Bonjour Monsieur, nous avons reservé une chambre sur le nom de Kara Danvers?” Lena began. 

The concierge typed the name into his computer. “Oui, donnez-moi une seconde s'il vous plaît. Est-ce que votre femme a besoin d'une carte de chambre aussi?”

“Une carte pour mon amie aussi, oui. Seulement si ça ne vous cause pas trop de trouble.” Lena corrected him gently. 

“Je m’excuse madame. Mais bien sûr.” The concierge handed Lena the two room keys. “Pour vous. Je vous souhaite un bon séjour.”

Lena walked back over to where Kara was waiting with the bags, deciding not to mention that the concierge had mistaken them for a married couple.

“So, you’re fluent in French, adore visual art and art history,” Kara nudged Lena’s shoulder lightly, “Any more surprises I should know about beforehand?”

“Before what?” Questioned Lena, a smile quickly forming on her lips. “Kara Danvers, are you planning on seducing me?” Lena’s devious smile didn’t quite match her eyes, which were far more dark and serious. 

“Well, we are in Paris after all,” Kara responded as humorously as possible, a bit taken aback by the intensity of Lena’s gaze. Kara immediately regretted that sentence as she opened their hotel room door to face not two beds, as requested, but one. 

“Hmm.” Lena paused, placing her bags carefully on the ground, and surveyed the room. 

Kara watched Lena’s face absorb the room, curious as to what her reaction would be to the bed mishap. 

“Should we ask for another room?” Lena asked Kara bluntly. 

Kara stammered, unsure of how to respond. She didn’t want to insult Lena by vehemently opposing their sharing a bed, but nor did Kara wish to force CEO Lena Luthor, who likely had a king-sized bed to herself back in National City, to share a sleeping space with her friend. 

“I really don’t mind sharing a bed,” Lena continued, relieving Kara from the pressure of responding. 

Kara exhaled with relief, “no this is completely fine.” That was a bit of a white lie, Kara thought to herself. 

Seemingly unaffected by the whole situation, Lena unpacked a simple beige blouse and dark blue pencil skirt out of her suitcase (immaculately packed, of course) and went to shower.

Kara connected her phone to the wifi, in order to message Alex that they had arrived safely. Once she connected, her phone lit-up with a message from Winn. 

Winn: didn’t hear about supergirl catching some plane midflight, so guessing you made it to the city of lights safely ☺

Kara: Safe and sound! Although, don’t know if I would’ve noticed with the deep sleep I was in half the flight…

Winn: I’m shocked, kara danvers! Missing out on the wonderful sights of the plane sleeping!

Kara: And I could still sleep now with the jet lag! Speaking of which…

Winn: ?

Kara: Well, I forgot I only got one bed when I booked for Mon-el and I…

Winn: folie a deux en paris?

Kara: I’ll translate after. You and Lena with the French! Either way, Lena’s sharing the bed with me, she’s fine with it.

Winn: are you fine with it? 

Kara: Of course I am! Just afraid I’ll crush her. Or wake her with my nearly constant turning.

Winn: that’s it? 

Kara: Those are serious concerns Winn! 

Winn: im just saying, beyond y’know, physical concerns, there are no emotional ones? you do get awfully nervous when you’re close to lena. 

Kara: Oh, stop it. I’m not even worried about that. 

Winn: and im gonna lose sleep thinking you’re going to forget how to breathe sleeping next to her! thats all it takes to bring supergirl down! 

Kara: WINN!

Winn: i think im funny at least

Kara: Very funny. Keep laughing it up when you hear Lena Luthor returns home with a mysterious black eye, and it’s just because I flipped over too hard in the night.

Winn: if you’re coming up with scenarios like that, clearly you need some air. or rest. you’re in paris, ill leave you to enjoy ALL the sights ;)

Kara: Keep your winky faces to yourself. But yes. Talk soon Winn!

“It’s almost 6pm with the time change Kara, do you want to head out for dinner?” 

Kara glanced up at Lena, who was dressed and brushing out her long dark hair, still damp from the shower. She didn’t realize the endeavor of collecting bags and travelling to the hotel had taken that long. 

“Only if it involves bread in some form!” Kara still hadn’t forgotten the baguettes she’d spotted earlier.

“Deal.” Lena gave Kara a quick smile, and turned back to the mirror to continue applying lipstick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to involve Kara and Lena’s first day in Paris and them adjusting to the Bed Situation. No drama or angst yet, but don’t worry, it’s coming. 
> 
> French translation:
> 
> “Bonjour Monsieur, nous avons reservé une chambre sur le nom de Kara Danvers?”  
> “Hello sir, we reserved a room under the name of Kara Danvers?”
> 
> “Oui, donnez-moi une seconde s'il vous plaît. Est-ce que votre femme a besoin d'une carte de chambre aussi?”  
> “Yes, give me a second please. Does your wife require a room key as well?”
> 
> "Une carte pour mon amie aussi, oui. Seulement si ça ne vous cause pas trop de trouble.”  
> “A card for my friend too, yes. Only if it doesn’t cause you too much difficulty.”
> 
> “Je m’excuse madame. Mais bien sûr. Pour vous. Je vous souhaite une bon séjour.”  
> “I apologize. Of course. For you. I wish you a pleasant stay.”


	4. Chapter 4

Kara slipped under the crisp white sheets and warm comforter of the bed, intentionally shifting as far to one side as possible in order to give Lena as much space as she wanted. A few minutes later Lena exited the bathroom, downing a short black silk nightgown that made Kara’s breath hitch slightly in her throat. Kara tried her hardest not to notice how the silk material brushed against Lena’s long, smooth thighs, as Lena sat down on the bed and began to rub lavender-scented body lotion up and down the length of her legs. 

Lena twisted slightly to face Kara, who was trying her best to look in every direction except Lena’s legs. “You know, I have shared a bed before, you don’t need to sacrifice your comfort for me.” 

“I just don’t want to inconvenience you,” admitted Kara, “I know when you travel alone or for work you get these luxurious hotel rooms and beds all to yourself.”

“When I travel for work I don’t get to spend time with you.” Lena spoke measuredly, turning to flick the light switch off. 

The image of Lena’s green eyes and her serious expression upon saying those words bored into Kara’s mind and remained there like an after-image of the sun even as the room became dark. 

Lena lay on her back, eyes opened, as she listened to Kara’s breathing slow gradually. Usually she’d get a bit envious of those who had the gift of being able to fall asleep in minutes and in any situation, but in this case she felt only grateful that Kara was managing to get some rest. Kara had seemed a bit dazed during dinner, Lena had forced herself to keep a serious face as she had watched Kara endearingly fumble with her cutlery - clearly she was not very accustomed to the terribleness that was time change. 

As Lena’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, she turned quietly to face Kara, who was sleeping on her side facing Lena’s end of the large bed.  
Confirming that her friend was already deep in slumber, Lena slowly got out of bed and shuffled to the small chair and desk in the corner of the hotel room, trying her best not to wake Kara. Lena opened her computer and began answering emails, having decided, as usual, that time spent not falling asleep was valuable time wasted. Since it was already mid-morning in National City, Lena found herself with no shortage of things to do, and time passed quickly. 

After finishing a couple of onerous administrative tasks, Lena leaned back in the chair and let her mind drift off naturally to where it usually found itself – Kara. Considering how well things were going so far, Lena felt optimistic about their relationship and wanted more than anything to have the “I want to be more than friends” conversation with her. Lena was constantly surprised by the intensity of her feelings (emotionally, not only physically, although Lena couldn’t deny how difficult it was to stay so far apart in the bed) and felt herself wanting to share more with Kara – desires which Lena was very unaccustomed to. As hard as it would be, Lena made up her mind to wait and have this discussion when they returned. It was too risky, she thought, when they were already committed to spending the next week and a bit together. She could wait until then, right? Right. Lena convinced herself. 

Kara, on the other hand, woke-up a few hours later utterly disoriented. The alarm block beside the bed glared 3:02am in bright red lettering. Looking over to Lena’s side of the bed and finding it empty, her half-sleep brain rashly concluded that Lena had left and returned to National City. Her brain lurched awake at that thought and Kara felt her heart ache painfully in her chest. Once her eyes focused and she was a bit more awake, Kara glanced across the hotel room and was relieved to find Lena hunched over her laptop. 

“Have you been awake this whole time?” Kara quietly called to Lena in the darkness. 

“Unfortunately.” Lena replied, closing her computer and crawling back into the bed next to Kara. She arched her back slightly, leaning back against the headboard. “My brain has not yet adjusted to the fact that it’s 3am here, since it’s still only early evening in National City.” 

“What would you be doing right now, if it was 6pm and we were back in National City?” Kara asked out of curiosity, sitting up a bit in the bed so her eyes met Lena’s. 

Lena responded to Kara’s initiation of closeness, placing her elbow against the top of the headboard and allowing her head to rest in her hand. With her other hand, she gently pulled her hair out of its loose bun, allowing it to freely cascade down her shoulders. 

“Honestly, probably about the same.” Lena admitted. “On a busy day, I’d be eating dinner at my desk, preparing for the next round of meetings that evening. On a not-as-busy day, I might be finishing up at work around now; I’d probably leave by eight. Head home, actually get a chance to cook dinner myself, watch a documentary maybe. Riveting stuff like that.” Lena concluded, in a tone dripping with sarcasm. 

“I’m sorry you get so little time to rest, that must get really exhausting,” Kara responded sympathetically. She knew how tiring it was to be always on-call, even if it was for a job she loved. 

“You don’t have to be sorry. I chose this. I mean, I didn’t choose the burden of the Luthor name, of course, but I could’ve let the company crumble after Lex was imprisoned. I could’ve done something else, anything else really. It would’ve been a scandal at first, but I still had a choice.” Lena looked off into space, trying desperately to imagine the seemingly imaginable universe where she worked at a small lab, perhaps actually working normal human hours, and wasn’t constantly compared and defined in relation to her family’s legacy. It was unrealistic. Leaning a bit closer to Kara, Lena grinned, determined to end the short monologue on a light note: “Plus, coffee was invented for a reason.” 

Noticing that Lena seemed in need of a more mundane topic, Kara asked a question that had been burning on her mind ever since she and Lena had become close: “What's your apartment like?”

“I can’t even believe you have to ask that,” Lena smiled sadly. “Only a Luthor would shield their best friend from their home.”

“No!” Kara reacted quickly, worried that her questions were beginning to upset Lena, the opposite of what she intended. “I’m not insulted at all, simply curious and wanting to know more about you. You don’t have to respond, really. Everyone has their secrets, things they prefer to keep to themselves.” Kara said this last sentence slowly; feeling it needed to be expressed but also silently hoping Lena wouldn’t prod and ask what her secret was. Knowing Lena well enough, she wouldn’t.

“It’s not a secret, really. Simply, no one has been to my apartment in National City. It’s the one place I feel truly safe, and is completely and utterly my own. I’m afraid that if I let people in, it’ll loose that magic.”

Glancing up at Kara, who was listening carefully and intently to Lena’s every word, Lena continued: “It’s small.” 

Kara looked at her in disbelief.

“Honestly!” Lena emphasized, laughing. “I don’t like big spaces. There are lots of plants and a very limited amount of furniture, since it’s just me.” 

Kara tried her best to picture this mysterious place that Lena called home, but Lena’s limited description had already challenged the image of Lena’s apartment that Kara had well-established in her mind: a vast space, a penthouse, perhaps, with austere colours and few living things. Not that Kara thought Lena was cold, she knew her well enough to see beyond the image Lena presented to the world. But the thought of ridiculously busy CEO Lena Luthor caring tenderly for plants at the end of a long day was a new vision of Lena altogether. 

Captivated by this image, Kara drifted off to sleep once again. 

“You can come see it sometime,” Lena murmured to Kara’s sleeping figure, finally falling asleep herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter than I originally intended, but I thought it naturally ended here! Thanks again to Steph for proof-reading this chapter! 
> 
> My inbox is always open at mtheherbivore.tumblr.com for prompts, suggestions, or lengthy conversations about Supercorp


	5. Chapter 5

Lena sighed tiredly as the loud ring of her phone alarm echoed through the room persistently. Kara must be immune to alarm clocks, Lena thought, as Kara had shifted a bit when the alarm rang but made no subsequent signs of consciousness. Leaving Kara to get more rest before they began their first day touring the city, Lena forced herself to leave the warm confines of the bed and get ready. She frowned at her tired face in the mirror; the light purplish bags under her eyes that never seemed to disappear regardless of how much sleep she got or how much foundation she put on were a particular nuisance. 

Lena heard light footsteps approaching and soon Kara materialized outside of the open bathroom door, leaning on the doorframe for support. Wearing the same loose grey shorts and white tank top she always wore to bed, Lena admired how beautiful Kara looked even within minutes of waking. Her blond hair was in a loose ponytail, and Lena discretely appraised how her tank top had slowly shifted up in her sleep, exposing a sliver of her toned stomach. Lena shivered. 

“I’m going to have to teach you how to vacation.” Kara muttered, rubbing her eyes. “Step one is sleeping until at least 10am.”

“I’m sorry, did I wake you? I meant to be quiet, I didn’t intend to force you to conform to my horrendous sleep schedule.”

“The bed suddenly felt a lot colder when you left it.” Kara mumbled, nearly incoherently.

“Come on, I’ll lead you back to bed.” Lena laughed, walking over to the doorway and reaching up to place her hands on Kara’s shoulders. Lena was starting to realize that sleepy Kara was essentially like dealing with someone who had excessively indulged in wine. 

Sensing the warm brush of Lena’s hands against her bare shoulders, Kara sighed lightly – half out of pleasure and half out of tiredness. Persuaded that Kara desperately needed sleep, Lena led her gently back to the bed. Kara looked as though she fell asleep immediately on impact, curling up horizontally at the foot of the bed. 

“Good morning.” Kara announced brightly a few hours later, dressed in a black sports bra and loose running shorts. “I’m going to try out the hotel gym quickly before we head out, want to join me?”

Without having to expend energy as Supergirl the past two days, Kara was beginning to feel restless. Although running for twenty minutes at an average human pace (in order not to arose suspicion) wouldn’t exactly tire her out, she was desperate to use her muscles. 

“Oh, no, thank you, I’ll stay here and work.” Lena replied, cautiously declining Kara’s offer. Lena was unwilling to show Kara how terrible she was at the majority of sport-like activities, not to mention how much she hated them regardless. 

“See you soon!” Kara called, walking out of the hotel door. 

After finishing her brief run, Kara paused before leaving the gym and glanced at herself in the mirror. Noting that she didn’t look like a human who had just ran for half an hour in any way, she quickly sprinkled a bit of water out of her bottle on her face, hoping that would be enough to convince Lena she had actually worked out. 

Entering the hotel room Kara found Lena, as usual, at her computer working. 

Lena looked up from her computer. “And how was your run?” She asked, her cheeks reddening slightly at the sight of Kara’s partially naked form suddenly standing directly in front of her. Lena couldn’t help but admire how muscular Kara was, a quality she had always found attractive about her. Early in their friendship she had noticed how strong and powerful Kara’s arms were, even when she simply reached to pass Lena coffee. Her perfectly structured abs and slight but defined leg muscles would lead one to believe she was an athlete or trainer of sort, not a reporter. 

“Nice. Fine.” Kara replied, a bit unsure of the appropriate human terminology for exercising. Was Lena blushing? Kara pondered to herself. She had never seen the CEO blush before, even during difficult and personal interviews, but she could have sworn her face had turned a bit red when she entered the room. The room was probably just a bit warm, Kara reasoned, despite the fact that Lena had set the air conditioning merely a few hours ago. 

“Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready!” Kara called, walking over to her suitcase to get ready. 

“And I’ll be here.” Lena joked. “Actually, do you mind grabbing an umbrella as well? It might rain a bit later on.” 

Kara nodded in response, rummaging through her suitcase for her red dress. Perhaps today was the day for that dress. 

Kara and Lena finally exited the hotel and began strolling under the grey skies of Paris towards the Musée D’Orsay, a thirty-minute walk from their hotel. They walked in comfortable silence past the glass triangles of the Louvre, through the Jardin des Tuileries, and finally across a small bridge over the Seine. 

Kara had never seen such a beautiful museum before. A former railway station, the museum comprised of a giant hall with an incredibly ornate clock at the back. As they waited in line for tickets, Lena passionately told her a bit about the history of the museum, and Kara listened intently. Not that she had a real interest in history, but Lena’s soft voice saturated with excitement suddenly made turn of the 19th century architecture seem absolutely riveting. 

They spent no less than three hours in the museum, as Kara quickly realized that Lena took museum going almost as seriously as she did her work. She carefully read each plaque, often tracing her finger over the words, and spent minutes staring at each painting without saying a word. Kara followed along quietly, trying to decipher Lena’s opinions or feelings about a certain piece through her expression. 

“Do you want to have lunch? They have a nice little café here that isn’t too pricey.” Kara was surprised to hear the sound of her voice. 

“Sure.” Kara replied. 

After settling in to the museum café and ordering their lunches, Lena looked up at Kara expectantly. 

“So. What did you think?” She asked with a small smile. 

“You know, I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.” Kara admitted. “With a family of scientists, we never went to a lot of art museums. So I didn’t know what to expect. But some of the colours… even if the painting wasn’t of anything in particular…they really toy with your emotions. I must say though, you were almost more fun to look at.” Kara teased.

“Impressionism is my absolute favourite art movement.” Lena agreed. “It forces you to stop thinking, and feel, something which I require help with sometimes.” Lena looked up from her soup and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “And why am I fun to look at?” 

“I became pretty skilled at figuring out your opinions based on your expression. You have a very expressive face.” 

Lena frowned, a bit confused. Her mother had engrained it into her that showing emotion was a weakness and she had tried, so hard, for so many years, to maintain a neutral expression at all times. Yet, when she was around Kara, she felt so at home that those artificial walls seemed to naturally crumble.

Noticing Lena’s expression, Kara continued hastily.

“In the most amazing way! I love how passionate you are and opinionated and inquisitive, and that you show how you feel when you’re comfortable, not with your words always, but in your face. It’s one of the many things I love about you,” Kara’s voice quivered slightly. 

“Oh,” Lena smiled broadly, unaccustomed to such uncensored praise. She reached her hand over the table to place it over Kara’s hand, which was fidgeting with a napkin nervously. “Thank you Kara, you’re wonderful.”

The rest of the day passed in a blur. They finished up at the museum and wandered around the surrounding area, stopping often in small bookstores that, in Lena’s words, couldn’t be passed by. After an informal dinner at a small café they had stumbled across, Lena and Kara headed back to the Seine, to the Pont Neuf specifically, for an evening boat tour they had planned. 

Lena normally loved these sort of informational yet leisurely tours however, the lack of sleep caught up with her and she felt the gentle rocking of the boat lull her to sleep. Kara didn’t bother her, only squeezing her hand gently when the boat came to a stop back at the Pont Neuf. 

“Did I sleep through the entire tour?” Lena asked, shocked and slightly disappointed, as they walked back across the bridge. 

“Yes, I’m sorry you were so peaceful!! We can take it again tomorrow?”

“It’s fine, we’ll do it the next trip.” Lena reassured her. “I only regret I couldn’t supplement the tour with my own historical fun facts.” Lena winked. 

Next trip? Kara lingered on those words, but decided not to address them. 

“Are historical facts ever fun though?” Kara retorted teasingly. 

“Always.” Lena smirked. 

They paused in the middle of the bridge, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle in the distance as the sun slipped behind the horizon and the sky faded to dark. As they stood, rain began sprinkling down lightly. 

“Kara, could you get the umbrella?” 

“Ahh I completely forgot it!” exclaimed Kara apologetically.

“Don’t worry. Come on, let’s head back before we get completely soaked.” 

Kara, this time, led Lena in a fast walk in the direction of their hotel, which turned into a running pace when the light rain transformed into a downpour. Puddles of water quickly formed in the small crevices of the sidewalk and gutters, as the rain continued to pound relentlessly. Splashing through the streets, completely unattempting to avoid the puddles, Lena started to laugh. She turned to Kara with a crazed look in her eyes, a streak of mascara slowly running down her rain-covered face and her bright red-stained lips parted, breathing heavily from the exertion. “This is the most fun I’ve had in years.”

Fingers firmly intertwined they continued to run through the streets of Paris towards the warmth of their hotel and bed. Kara smiled to herself widely as they ran across a deserted intersection, relishing in the feeling of uninhibited existence, a feeling that she had previously only managed to harness through flying. She laughed aloud, ignoring the inquisitive glance from Lena, realizing that she just equated the act of running through the streets of Paris with Lena Luthor with the unworldliness of flying. She couldn’t decide which she preferred. 

They burst through the doors of the hotel enthusiastically, ignoring the bewildered stares they received from the fellow guests enjoying a nightcap by the lobby fireplace. 

Once they got to the hotel room, Kara headed straight for the shower, wishing desperately to escape her now cold, damp clothes that stuck like wet paper mâché to her, equally soaked, skin. 

Lena quickly stepped in front of her, left eyebrow raised, stopping Kara in her tracks. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Please let me shower first,” Kara whined dramatically, “I hate wet clothes.” 

“And what makes you think I detest them any less than you do?” Lena teased. “Also, heaven forbid someone comes to the door and spots the CEO of LCorp dressed like she just went for a light evening dip in the Seine.” Lena’s tone was serious, but her eyes were glimmering. “Kara Danvers, do you want to cause a media scandal? I thought you were my best friend.” Lena gasped dramatically, in fake-horror. 

“Ok,” Kara giggled. “If you can look at yourself in a mirror for five seconds without laughing, I’ll let you shower first.”

Walking over to the mirror, Lena didn’t last even a second looking at her own reflection before bursting into laughter. Her feet were covered with streaks of dirt, as were her light jeans. Splashes of dirty water had even managed to reach her white blouse and exposed neck. 

“It’s not that bad.” Kara reassured her, gently smoothing down her tangled damp hair.

“I can’t believe you let me walk through the lobby like this!” Lena exclaimed, horrified. 

“Ok, you can shower first, I give up my spot. It seems like you need it more than I do.” Kara had barely finished her sentence before Lena dashed into the bathroom and Kara heard the shower run. 

After finally having her own chance to shower, Kara stood in the mirror staring at her own reflection. It was becoming harder, every second, to continue to deny how she felt about Lena. Especially when the trip was feeling suddenly so…romantic? All that was missing was physical closeness in an explicitly non-platonic way; something that Kara desired so much. She wanted to simply walk out of the bathroom, up to Lena and ask to kiss her. And then, given an affirmative response, kiss her. And more? Kara asked herself, shaking her head in response. Not until Lena knew she was Supergirl, it wasn’t right any other way. She couldn’t be close with someone in…that way unless they knew every part of who she was. 

Stepping out of the bathroom, Kara was beyond shocked at the state in which she found Lena. Lena looked incredibly at ease, sitting sideways on the large reading chair with her legs dangling over the edge and head relaxed on the headrest, browsing on her computer. More shocking, however, was her attire: Lena wore only a loose grey t-shirt with a pair of burgundy silk underwear and glasses. 

“Hi.” Kara spoke hesitantly, biting her lip – her trademark move when there was more that she wished to say but couldn’t vocalize. In this case, it was more what Kara wished to do, rather than what she wished to say (and that doing may have involved removing certain items of clothing off of a certain Luthor sitting in front of her). 

“Well, hello.” Lena replied alluringly, looking up at Kara over the top of her computer screen. 

“I didn’t know you wore glasses too?” Kara stammered, her composure visibly shaken by Lena’s relaxed and minimalist appearance. 

“Only to read when my eyes get tired, yes.” Lena noticed Kara’s change in demeanour. “Sorry, do you mind if I wear this to bed? I’m accustomed to sleeping like this when I’m alone at home but if it makes you uncomfortable I can change.”

“No, this is perfect!” Kara blushed furiously, racking her brain for a more casual response to Lena’s question and ultimately failing. “Better, actually!”

“Well, as long as it’s better then…” Lena’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, unsure if Kara’s response was convincing enough that her exposed skin didn’t bother her. 

Kara curled up in the bed, wishing to hide her face from view and Lena followed Kara’s lead to bed. 

Lena squeezed her eyes shut, already embarrassed of what she was about to say. 

“Could we sleep closer tonight, if you don’t mind? It was so cold last night…”

“Yes.” Kara replied nervously, pulling herself closer to Lena. 

She felt their legs brush and Lena’s body relax involuntarily. Forcing herself to stop thinking about what this meant, if this was something friends did…Kara simply allowed herself to relax as well. Lena turned over on her side, leaning her head slightly against Kara chest. Kara didn’t resist her craving for more physical contact and began running her fingers through Lena’s hair. Lena moaned quietly in response and began drifting off to sleep, feeling warm and safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 will be up by next Friday! 
> 
> Also, my apologies, my inner-history student really couldn't resist making Lena into a history fan as well. 
> 
> Feel free to come chat with me on tumblr @mtheherbivore


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara take a day trip to Montmartre, where an evening of wine leads to surprising confessions and developments.

“We must go out and celebrate our last night in Paris,” Lena said decisively.

She twisted to face Kara on the small bench they were currently sharing. “I can’t stress enough how amazing wine sounds at this very moment, after such a treacherous hike.” Lena added, glaring teasingly at Kara.

They had decided to spend the afternoon in Montmartre and after looking at the map, Kara had suggested that they walk there to see more of the city. On the map it looked only slightly longer of a walk than their stroll to the Musée D’Orsay the day prior. What they had both forgotten to account for, however, was the fact that Montmartre was located on the top of a significant hill, so half of the walk was on a steep incline. This didn’t pose a problem for Kara of course, but Lena spent nearly half of the hike wondering loudly why people actually choose to hike for pleasure and questioning their decision-making.

By the time they reached the top, more than an hour later, Kara was laughing so hard that even she was becoming a bit winded.

They finally reached a small courtyard with flowers and the bench they were currently resting on, which provided quite a magnificent view of the city below.

“I wish this wasn’t our last night!” Kara sighed animatedly. “When we planned the trip Mon-El insisted he wanted to see more of Italy, but I wanted to see more of Paris. This was the only compromise he would agree to. There wasn’t even a good reason for it, he just said he didn’t want to “work” on his vacation and only wanted to lie on a beach. In retrospect, it wasn’t so much of a compromise that it was simply him getting his way.” Kara looked down, clearly still disappointed by the memory.

“Three nights in Paris is not enough.” Lena replied in agreement. “But we’ll be back someday, I promise.” Lena looked out at the city, wondering how someone could be so selfish as to ‘surprise’ someone with a trip, and then only agree to a schedule and activities that suited their own interests. These despicable anecdotes about Mon-El were starting to come less and less of a surprise to her. Kara deserved so much better, she thought fiercely.

Lena briefly imagined a reality where her and Kara always planned to travel together, as a couple. Intentionally getting hotel rooms with one bed, visiting all of the beautiful cities that Lena had always wanted to visit with a partner. Until she had met Kara, the face and persona of this future partner had always been blurry in her mind – an underdeveloped figment of her imagination. Lena reminded herself pessimistically that the clarity of these fantasies now only promised to hurt her in the future, as did Kara’s next words:

“We should do this sort of friend trip once a year. One or two weeks, just the two of us. Each year we can go somewhere different, and then once we’ve seen everything we wanted to see, we can cycle back through our favourites!” Kara exclaimed enthusiastically, brutally snapping Lena back to reality.

Reality, where she was simply the friend. Albeit a best friend, but a friend nonetheless who was the second choice on this trip which was originally intended for a boyfriend.

Lena felt the pain of this realization hit immediately. The thrill of running through the rain together, the pleasure that had ricocheted through Lena’s body when their legs brushed and intertwined slightly in bed last night… it had all been imagined. Kara was happy, Lena concluded, but she hadn’t spent months planning to be with Lena on this trip. She was the back-up plan.

“At that rate we’ll never return to Paris.” Lena smiled sadly, wishing she could switch her thoughts off for just a simple second. She wanted desperately to enjoy the moment and Kara’s bright smile, which had started to falter slightly as despair wrote itself across Lena’s expression. Instead, she found herself continuously falling into these cycles of self-deprecation.

“Do you want to go to a bar and have a few drinks after we see the classic Montmartre sights? It’s already 5pm, somehow.” Kara suggested, sensing Lena was unwilling to discuss the cause for her pursed lips and tortured expression.

“Why not. Only if you can carry me though, I’m not entirely sure I’m capable of leaving this bench and walking anymore.” Lena replied, forcing herself to adopt a sarcastic tone in order to re-posit herself as nonchalant and content - despite her unwavering feeling of unease.

Kara giggled nervously. “I don’t think I can help you with that unfortunately.”

Kara stood up from the bench with no effort, and reached her hand out to Lena. Lena groaned and forced her legs to activate, leaning her body weight on Kara for support once she was standing.

They spent the early evening walking, extremely slowly for Lena’s sake, around the winding and hilly streets of Montmartre. Kara developed a particular affinity for the Sacré-Coeur church, with its ornate stained glass windows and sprawling view of the city just outside the doors.

For some reason the usual crowded observation deck was nearly empty, allowing Kara and Lena to walk freely alongside the railing and absorb the entire skyline – from the Eiffel tower with the modern skyscrapers marking the business district in the background, to the giant boulevard of the Champs-Élysées.

Marvelling in the image of Lena’s silhouette against the rich royal blue of the twilight sky and twinkling lights of the city skyline, Kara managed to snap a picture. She glanced at the copy of the image on her phone screen and frowned, realizing there was no way any digital image could capture this moment: Lena’s dark hair, slightly ruffled by the wind and loosely curled down her back, against a deep red dress that was a personal favourite of Kara’s. She was looking out at the skyline, deep in thought, twisting her neck in such a way that made her pale and sharp jawline look as though it was chiseled from white marble. Kara tried to take a mental picture instead, noting all of the details such as the cool evening breeze that toyed gently with the ends of Lena’s hair; details her phone simply couldn’t record.

They walked back to the centre of Montmartre, an area featuring many bars, restaurants, and squares filled with local vendors selling sketches of famous Paris landmarks like the Moulin Rouge.

“How about this place?” Lena gestured to a small bar on the corner of an intersection, Café Francouer. It seemed to be quiet; Kara could make out only a few other individuals seated on the patio – a woman sitting alone reading a thick book and a young couple drinking espresso in silence. It had the classic Parisian red awning, and ample patio space with the chairs all facing the street – an arrangement Kara had begun to notice that most bars in Paris followed. The patio was also dotted with small gas lanterns, which gave the area a soft glow and warmth to it.

They reached the patio, and Lena pulled out a chair and gestured for Kara to sit.

“Oh, well, thank you.”

“And what would you like to drink?” Lena asked Kara once they were both comfortably seated side-by-side, at a small table tucked snugly into the back corner of the patio.

“I’m really fine with anything!” Kara responded. “I like red wine, which I’m sure is still on your mind after the hike this afternoon.”

“How well you know me,” Lena grinned devilishly.

The waiter soon came to take their order, and Lena confidently ordered a bottle of some French wine that Kara was in no way able to pronounce.

Once it arrived Lena poured Kara a generous glass and then filled her own. The conversation started as casual, Lena asked Kara what her favourite parts of Paris were, Lena told Kara a bit about the new project she was working on… but by their third glasses the conversation took a more serious turn.

“Do you want to know a secret?” Lena whispered. She felt the wine coursing through her veins, allowing her to push away her feelings of unease and inadequacy and regain the courage to speak more bluntly.

Kara hid her slight grimace, terrified of what Lena was about to say – mainly that she was about to be exposed as Supergirl.

“I really _really_ disliked Mon-El.”

Lena’s face maintained its serious expression, and Kara burst out laughing: “That’s your secret? Wow Lena, I thought you were going to say something far darker.”

“It is serious!” Lena exclaimed. “My distaste for him was very serious, for certain reasons…” Lena led, arching her eyebrow slightly in not its usual inquisitive manner, but rather in a way that implied there was much more beyond these words.

Kara silently wished she had some Alien alcohol at moments like this, she felt like she was deceiving Lena by pretending she was drinking along with her when in reality, she was utterly sober. Evidently Lena was feeling the effects of the wine, Kara thought, or else she likely wouldn’t be this explicitly honest. Kara tried her best to relax, stop the thoughts in her head from buzzing around anxiously, so she could hopefully mirror Lena’s state of wine-infused honesty. She intensely wanted to ask Lena what those reasons for her dislike of Mon-El were, but she felt her lips freeze out of nervousness and was unable to form the question.

Kara didn’t even have to ask, as Lena continued without any encouragement.

“Do you remember my fundraiser from earlier in the year?”

Kara nodded in response, a bit confused as to what the fundraiser had to do with Lena’s dislike of Mon-El.

“And do you remember that I came to Catco, and asked you to come to said fundraiser?”

Kara nodded again, the puzzle pieces slowly forming in her head. She was still a bit unclear to what the final picture was, though.

Lena felt her sober, rational brain from earlier screaming at her to stop. This time, she was able to push those thoughts aside. It was about time, she thought, that everything was out in the open. It was about time that she laid her feelings out in front of Kara, allowing her to do with them what she wished. She would accept whatever came next.

“Well, if I’m being utterly honest, that was intended as a date. I was asking you to be my date, to the fundraiser. And then –“

“And then Mon-El invited himself along.” Kara finished the sentence, finally realizing what Lena was trying to say.

“You wanted to ask me out?” Kara asked shyly, a quiet smile forming.

“Yes and he ruined my plans, clearly.” Lena continued looking across the street in front of them, unable to meet Kara’s eyes during this entire confession.

They both sat without speaking, reflecting for a few moments before Lena broke the silence.

“What do you think about that?” Lena asked measuredly, still starting intently ahead. Lena’s hands slightly trembled with anticipation and nervousness.

“I think…” Kara started, unable to put into words the many intense emotions she felt at the news that Lena wanted to go on a date with her. She was ecstatic, a bit nervous, flustered, excited… but that wasn’t a proper response.

“I would’ve said yes.” Kara concluded simply.

Lena immediately turned to look at Kara in surprise.

This time Kara continued, providing Lena with a break from the personal declarations.

“I’m having such an incredible time, I … I don’t want this to end.” Kara whispered abruptly, looking straight into Lena’s green eyes and secretly hoping her friend inferred that she wasn’t only referring to the trip.

“It doesn’t have to.” Lena replied, immediately understanding the significance of Kara’s words.

“Where should we go next?” Kara asked, slightly releasing the tension and shifting the conversation back to travelling.

“Amsterdam. Or Prague? Those are probably my next two favourite cities.” Lena replied, grateful for a less-loaded topic. “I used to love biking around the city, in secret of course, when I travelled there as a teenager. It’s so vibrant. You can just spend the day getting lost in the canal rings. I’m referring to Amsterdam, of course. Prague consists more of delicious Eastern European food and vodka.” Lena smirked.

“I’ll go to Amsterdam with you in a second but you won’t find me biking, I’m terrible at it and always end up injuring someone.” Kara replied. She left the “someone” ambiguous since it was always someone other than her who ended up getting hurt when she mounted a bike.

Still feeling the effects of the wine and reveling in the knowledge that Kara would’ve agreed to a date, Lena’s tone of voice started to take a noticeably more relaxed and flirtatious turn.

“Well, you’ll just have to ride in my lap then,” Lena shrugged.

“That sounds even more dangerous,” Kara laughed, “but I would never say no to that offer.”

“Why not?”

Kara blushed, feeling her inhibitions slowly coming down as though the wine was somehow affecting her as well.

“Because you’re beautiful, and smart, and so incredibly kind…easy to talk to. Because you’re Lena Luthor.” Kara admitted, feeling her face burning.

Lena didn’t speak a word, simply leaning in closer to Kara in response.

Kara unconsciously followed Lena’s lead, until their faces were merely a few inches apart. Kara admired the way Lena’s face seemed to give off a light glow under the haze of the soft lamps.

Running her hand lightly over the length of Lena’s face, Kara, for the second time in the evening, verbalized her thoughts without hesitancy: “Who wouldn’t agree that you’re astonishingly beautiful.”

They both continued to shift closer to one another, until their lips brushed softly. Lena leaned back slightly to look into Kara’s eyes.

“Kara Danvers,” Lena spoke her name slowly, “may I kiss you?” Lena had finally asked the question that had been on the tip of Kara’s tongue waiting to be asked for longer than Kara could remember.

“Yes,” Kara responded simply.

Upon hearing that one word, Lena wrapped her hands around the base of Kara’s neck, encouraging their lips to meet once again. This time the kiss deepened and Kara placed her hands around Lena’s waist to bring their bodies closer together.

Kara could barely formulate any coherent thoughts on what was happening, most of her brain seemed to have effectively shut down the second Lena’s lips met hers. The part that continued to function, was alternating between disbelief and reveling in how natural this felt.

This overpowering feeling of pleasant surprise didn’t stop her from responding enthusiastically, and Kara slowly ran her hands from Lena’s waist to her lower back. Careful not to put too much pressure on Lena’s frame, she tightened her grasp on Lena’s back, closing any remaining space between them.

Lena tangled her fingers in Kara’s hair, pressing her against the cold brick of the café exterior. After a minute, Kara started to worry that Lena’s hands were getting cold, so she reached up and enveloped one of Lena’s hands in her own, placing it securely in her lap.

“D-do you want to go back to the hotel?” Lena said, lowering her head and gasping slightly for air against Kara’s neck.

Kara moaned slightly, feeling Lena’s knee drift in between her legs.

Kara gulped, and started shakily moving from her chair. “Uh-sure.” She replied, unsure of how to deal with this situation. She didn’t feel right going further than kissing Lena without telling her about her full identity, but on the other hand, she didn’t know how to tell Lena at this particular moment…

“I’ve got a cab!” Lena called from a few feet away.

Trying to decipher a solution while her head was so cloudy was proving difficult, Kara thought, stepping into the cab. She had to figure something out, without hurting Lena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize my updates are a bit slower! I’m trying to get a lot of work done before I leave for Europe myself next week (!!!). Also thanks once again to @officialalicemunro, for reading over this chapter and the always inspiring supercorp discourse.
> 
> @mtheherbivore on tumblr, feel free to message me prompts, comments, suggestions, etc. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU to @officialalicemunro for editing this chapter and boosting my ego by laughing at my jokes. AND of course to @stennnn06 for virtual wine and writing o'clock and for helping me with the plot! You guys are the best.

Kara struggled to unlock the hotel room door, utterly preoccupied by Lena’s hands as they roamed freely along her back, down her waist, lingering for a few seconds on her hip…

Kara closed her eyes, relishing in the slight pressure of Lena’s delicate fingers on her hip. She finally made the executive decision to give up on the door. Stuffing the keycard clumsily into the back pocket of her jeans, Kara turned from the door to meet Lena’s face:

“You know, I’m never going to get the door open if your hands keep wandering,” Kara lectured Lena teasingly.  

“Well, that’s no deterrent for me,” Lena murmured suggestively, lightly pulling the collar of Kara’s button-up shirt. “The hallway _is_ completely empty, after all.” Lena tugged Kara closer, enveloping Kara’s face in her own.

Both Lena and Kara had become considerably more comfortable with the new dynamic their friendship had taken on in the past few hours - and it showed. Their bodies naturally melded into one, as Kara guided Lena against the door and began tracing the length of her torso with her free hand that wasn’t cupping Lena’s face delicately. After a few minutes Kara started to shift away gradually; she was aware that at one point in the evening they actually did have to manage to open the room door. Lena placed her hand on Kara’s now exposed shoulder, biting her lip gently and encouraging her to stay.

Kara laughed and placed her hands on Lena’s chest: “Hey Lena? Unless you want to sleep in the hallway, we need to put some distance between us for just one second so I can get this door open.”

“I’m distracting you, aren’t I?” Lena quipped, looking up at Kara through dark eyelashes.

“Just a little bit,” Kara responded, aware that this was a considerable understatement.

After finally managing to open the door, Kara lingered by the light switch and cleared her throat nervously, dreading the necessary statement that would put an end to these…activities for the time being.

“I’m pretty tired actually; I think the time change must’ve caught up with me. Do you mind if we head to bed?” Kara inquired, adjusting her glasses to cover her eyes and disheartened expression. She was certain that if Lena looked into her eyes, she would know immediately that this was a white lie. Kara felt like the worst friend, if that’s all they still were to one another. Regardless of how much she didn’t want to end things here, she knew that 1am, in Paris, featuring a tipsy Lena, was not the right moment to have a serious conversation, not to mention a Superhero-secret-identity-reveal conversation.

Lena took it in stride, of course. Her eyes flashed with pain and confusion for a second, as she wondered if this was Kara’s discrete way of rejecting her, but she quickly regained her composure. She gave Kara a quick smile, which didn’t meet her now cold and blankly staring eyes. Putting up emotional barriers efficiently was one skill of many which Lena had been forced to master after years of manipulation and rejection from people she had valued and previously trusted. This was second nature to her, Lena smiled again, grimly. “That’s completely fine, goodnight Kara.”

Kara frowned, unable to ignore Lena’s sudden coldness. _If only Lena knew how much I wish this didn’t have to end here_ …Kara thought again guiltily, dismayed by her own inability in this moment to reveal the full truth.

“I’ll just go get ready for bed,” Lena muttered, already walking quickly towards the bathroom.

Kara’s whole body pulsed in pleasure, clearly dissatisfied with her decision. She was embarrassed that she couldn’t bring herself to simply say that she didn’t want to sleep together yet – she knew she didn’t need a reason for it, and that Lena wouldn’t ask for one.

She knew Lena well-enough to be assured that Lena would never push boundaries, but she was determined to reassure Lena that this was in no way a rejection. Lena had clearly interpreted her request differently than she had meant, and Kara knew that the fault was her own.

They both were in bed a few minutes later, lying side by side with a considerable amount of space between them, compared to the previous nights. Kara started slowly brushing misplaced hairs off of Lena’s forehead.

“You know, I had the most amazing time tonight,” Kara started.

“Me too,” Lena replied quietly, cautiously.

“We must do it again sometime,” Kara shifted closer to Lena’s ear: “And I don’t just mean drinks.” She whispered, kissing Lena gently where her ear met her neck.

“Deal.” Lena smiled with her eyes closed, her face already beginning to release some of the tension it had accumulated from overthinking, overanalyzing Kara’s words. She started to drift off – suddenly grateful that Kara suggested they go to bed.

“One more thing,” Kara said. “I want to take things slowly. I don’t want to have sex quite yet. I want to wait,” Kara stammered.

Lena absorbed Kara’s words, shaking herself awake. She lifted her head off the pillow and supported her head with her hand, wishing to meet Kara’s gaze directly.

“Is that what you really meant when you said you wanted to go to sleep?”

Kara nodded in confirmation.

Lena sighed, a bit frustrated. “You know Kara,” she started gently, “you can always be honest with me. I never want to make you uncomfortable and push your boundaries. Just tell me what you want directly, I can’t stand miscommunication.”

Kara exhaled in relief, still feeling her heart a bit heavy with guilt. She promised herself she would tell Lena she was Supergirl as soon as they got back to National City, and had some time to themselves without having to spend the next week together.

“Now,” Lena raised an eyebrow. “Are you _really_ tired, or is there anything else you would like to do?”

“There’s something else I’d far rather do,” Kara replied quickly, pressing her lips against Lena’s enthusiastically.

 

* * *

 

Kara woke-up smiling, memories of the previous night flooding back. She glanced over at Lena, who was curled up on her side hugging a pillow tightly. She desperately wished she didn’t have to wake her up, only in the past two mornings Kara had finally managed to convince Lena to sleep in.

“Good morning,” Kara whispered, kissing Lena on the cheek gently. “I think we have to get up soon to head to the airport.”

“I am no longer Lena,” Lena muttered, burying her face deeper in her pillow. “I have now transformed into a bottle of wine.”

Kara laughed, shifting in the bed so she hovered over Lena’s half-asleep form. Her hair tumbled like a curtain over Lena’s face, causing her friend to shift and open her eyes slightly: “That tickles,” Lena complained, opening her eyes to look at Kara. They gazed at each other for a few seconds in silent admiration.

“Ok,” Lena conceded finally, “Let’s go.”

They packed up their belongings and started to head towards the airport. The flight to Italy itself – Naples precisely – was far smoother and shorter than their flight across the Atlantic. No more than an hour later, the plane touched the tarmac in Naples. The next part of the journey was longer and more difficult. They gathered their luggage and boarded a local bus in the direction of the central train station.

By the time they reached the train station and caught their train to Pompeii (which was lacking any significant air circulation and severely crowded to the extent that Lena and Kara were forced to stand) Kara was beginning to curse herself for rejecting Lena’s offer at the airport to rent a private car, as she craned her neck towards the window absorbing as much she could see of the Southern Italian countryside. Luckily the train was fast; it flew past small villages nestled into the mountainside and lush greenery, and arrived at the Pompeii train station in no time. Kara was giddy, picking up both her and Lena’s bags and dashing out of the train in attempt to glimpse Mount Vesuvius. When she had first arrived on earth the Danvers had overloaded her with “normal Earth child and pre-teen reading," and she became quickly taken with books about archeology and natural disasters. The stories about Pompeii had occupied her for the better half of her first summer on Earth.

Thankfully they snagged seats on the next train to Sorrento, where they planned to stay for one night as a stop-over before heading down the Amalfi coast to Positano. Lena sighed with tiredness as she sat down on the plastic seats of the rickety train, placing her luggage in front of her. _Finishing nearly a bottle of wine before a long day of travelling_ _wasn’t the greatest idea_ , Lena mused. She was so accustomed to being driven in plush, air-conditioned cars to her destinations that she had forgotten about the struggles that came with normal travelling. Although her head was pounding and desperate for cool air, Lena couldn’t help but revel in the normalcy of it all; no one even took a second glance at her, Lena Luthor, lugging her suitcase through train stations and streets. The initial excitement would wear off though, Lena reminded herself, and vowed to better persuade Kara to take up her offer to pay for a private car on the trip back to the airport in a week.

 

* * *

  

Exhausted from the late night and a long day of travelling, Lena made the executive decision to order room service and her and Kara settled in for an early night.

“So, what did you have planned for your stop-over in Sorrento?” Lena asked, curious as to why the trip was planned with a stop in this small touristy town for a mere 20 hours.

Kara looked-up from rummaging through her suitcase. “We actually booked this boat tour to a beach on Capri for the day…it looked so beautiful in pictures, I wanted to swim and try the restaurants…” Kara’s voice decreased in volume, as she remembered that she had no idea how Lena herself wanted to spend her time.

Kara continued on, starting to ramble out of nervousness, “We could always split up, though, if you wanted to tour around here, or get some work done, or -”

“That sounds amazing.” Lena cut her off, wrapping her hands loosely around Kara’s neck and giving her a quick kiss. “I’m not sure if I’d swim, but I have no problem sitting on a patio with a glass of rosé watching you enjoy the water,” Lena winked.

“Ok, we have to catch the boat at 8am!” Kara regained her excitement. 

A few minutes later they were already in bed, lights off, relishing in the coolness of their hotel room with the light breeze coming in through the opened window. Their room had an overview of the harbour and the mountains in the distance, and the moonlight shone brightly through the curtains.

“Goodnight,” Lena said faintly, turning over towards Kara and brushing her lips lightly over Kara’s forehead.

Kara froze, unsure of what just happened. The kiss was so light, that Kara was not even convinced that it'd taken place. Obviously they'd done things far more intimate last night and this morning… but there was something so domestic, so comfortable and familiar about the forehead kiss that sent Kara into a flurry of overthinking.

“Hey Lena, can I ask you something, quickly?”

“Of course,” Lena replied, turning back towards Kara.

“What is this?” Kara whispered, crinkling her eyebrows together.

“I’m not sure,” Lena admitted. “I was secretly worried that this might happen, when I agreed to the trip. Despite my pessimism about your feelings for me, I had a …sense, or something? That since things are so easy and comfortable between us, something more would naturally develop…” Lena laughed lightly. “And I guess my premonition proved correct,” she gave Kara a taunting glance, before frowning slightly. “I was also afraid, that if we embraced a more physically intimate relationship without discussing what it meant, it would end badly. I don’t think I could ever have any sort of meaningless relationship with you.” Lena admitted, running a hand through her hair.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly before continuing, affording herself a second to collect her thoughts and express them as explicitly as possible, without being too harsh.

“I don’t know what I want exactly, not right this minute, at least.” Lena conceded, cautiously waiting for Kara’s reaction.

Kara’s heart dropped slightly, but she knew Lena had a point. “We should revisit this and talk once we’re back in National City?” Kara proposed, wishing things didn’t have to change, but understanding that this was the better, more reasonable choice in the long term.

She really needed to talk to Alex.

 

* * *

 

Lena tossed in her sleep, frustrated at herself, and at the situation. She was telling the truth, she didn’t know what she wanted. Things were so confusing on vacation, it was like this wonderful alternative reality where only her and Kara existed, with no stress, nothing to complicate their relationship. _Yet, that wasn’t what things were like in National City_ , Lena reminded herself, and squeezed her eyes shut, in need of a break from her thoughts.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, mtheherbivore.tumblr.com.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU to @stennnn06 and @officialalicemunro for reading this over and the always great suggestions. You can find me on tumblr @mtheherbivore

The bright sun streaming through the window woke Kara even before the 7am alarm, and she felt a wave of happiness wash through her despite the difficult conversation Lena and her had embarked upon not even 6 hours earlier. The sun never ceased to lift her mood, likely in part due to her biological dependence on it for her powers.

She made a strong cup of coffee in the room, consistently surprised as to how good even hotel room coffee was in Europe, and withdrew to the balcony to appreciate the sun for a few minutes before Lena woke. Lounging on the patio chair, Kara contemplated how different Lena was, in small but profound ways, now that she was relaxing into a holiday schedule. The persistent stress lines around her eyes and forehead had begun to fade, and her laugh had a more open, honest sound to it. Lena would always be beautiful to her, Kara knew that for certain, but it was a relief to see her release some of the stress that had built up over the years. Kara made a mental note to suggest that they should really take stress-free vacations more often, if their schedules allowed. _Unpromising_ , Kara muttered to herself. She heard rustling in the bed, and glanced back towards the room, where Lena was slowly moving out of bed – stretching out her long pale legs, and arching her neck back slightly. Kara inhaled slowly, holding her breath for a second to mentally prepare herself for the day.

Lena packed up a bag for the beach silently, deciding at the last minute to place a bathing suit inside despite her usual aversion to swimming at sandy beaches. Checking her watch, she noticed it was already 7:30.

“Kara, are you ready to go?” Lena called from the doorway in Kara’s direction, who was staring blankly at her suitcase. Kara grabbed her light pink bikini quickly, closing her suitcase and rushing, a bit too briskly, to meet Lena at the door.

“You can really move quickly when required,” Lena grinned, “I’ll have to remember that.”

Kara threw her head back slightly and laughed with excessively forced vigor, as if Lena had just made the most ridiculous joke.

“I don’t want to miss the boat, unless you want to swim to the island?” Kara shot back, regaining some composed humor.

Lena only raised her eyebrows in response, and started walking in the direction of the pier.

 

* * *

 

Lena’s eyes grew wide as the boat bumped against the shallow seabed of the island shore and they began disembarking onto the pier.

“Oh my god, this is incredible,” she whispered, inhaling the fresh, salty air of the Gulf of Naples. Lena had travelled to various cities in Italy – Rome, Milan – for business reasons, but she hadn’t had the chance to visit the South.

Kara glanced at Lena’s face out of the corner of her eye, smiling secretly. Her plan had worked.

Within seconds of walking out onto the beach, Lena was genuinely confused as to why she had never been to the South of Italy. The beach Kara had chosen, Palazzo a Mare, was small and sheltered at the bottom of a high rocky cliff. It wasn’t a typical beach, like the ones she’d visited in Greece in what seemed to be ages ago now, with miles of white sandy dunes and palm trees. Instead, the beach was mainly rocky and small; the shore quickly giving way to crystal clear water dotted with rocky reefs.

“This is incredible!” Lena repeated, louder this time to address Kara.

“It is!” Kara replied in pseudo-shock, closing her eyes and turning her face towards the sun.

“I actually like beaches, when there isn’t any sand,” Lena remarked. “Sand goes everywhere and is such a nuisance. Once, even three weeks after I had stepped foot onto a beach - ”

“You still found sand in your apartment,” Kara finished the sentence, laughing.

Lena looked up in surprise. “I don’t remember telling you about that.”

“You were ranting about it with Jess when I came into your office a while ago. And I have a good memory for Lena-related anecdotes,” Kara explained, squeezing Lena’s hand lightly. “Plus, it’s not everyday you meet someone with such a passionate vengeance against sand.” Kara added, feeling the need to justify her memory further.

“Shall we claim a beach chair? Preferably in the shade?”

Kara nodded, placing her towel and bag over a chair.

Lena sat down in the chair adjacent, pulling a small tube of sunscreen that looked more expensive than Kara’s entire wardrobe out of her tote bag. Looking out towards the water, Lena slowly began rubbing the sunscreen caringly up her arms to her shoulders, not leaving even a trace of white streaks. She was nothing if not thorough.

“Maybe I will swim,” Lena contemplated, more to herself than to Kara. She pulled a black one-piece out of her bag, eying it critically.

“Yep, just give me a second, I’m just going to go change,” Kara stammered nervously, turning abruptly away from Lena.

_Okay, she’s just your friend,_ Kara told herself. _Well, maybe a bit more than that,_ Kara acquiesced. _But just your friend for now,_ she reminded herself fiercely, _until you return to National City and talk._ Kara stood up a bit straighter and smiled to herself, pleased at her ability to put things into context and remind herself of the situation at hand.

This composure was strained a bit, as she approached the beach.

Lena was shyly walking up to the water, her hair released from its usual tight bun and flowing in disarray down her bare back. Her swimsuit had a generously low-cut back, the black fabric beginning only at her lower back. Kara watched, inordinately fascinated, how Lena’s collarbone shifted as she swung her arms gingerly alongside her legs, longing to trace the length of the delicate bone with her fingers.

Lena was completely oblivious to Kara’s inraptured state behind her, and continued strolling towards the water. Lena couldn’t remember the last time she swam. She had these fuzzy and incomplete childhood memories of swimming courses, slamming the water with her small hands and watching it fly in the air, her mother’s delighted face. A face that Lena wasn’t even sure she was recalling correctly anymore, or if her mother’s persona had become, through the years, entirely a creation of her imagination. She liked swimming, Lillian systematically refused to take her after she was adopted, and she had only gone a few times as an adult. But somehow, those few times her childhood swimming lessons had immediately returned to her upon contact with the water, and she found herself moving through the water, albeit slowly, with little conscious effort.

She yelped quietly as the cold water crept up her legs, but continued to march away from the shore fearlessly.

“Lena!” Kara called, jogging slowly towards the water. She realized that she actually didn’t know if Lena could swim, and felt this immediate wave of fear wash over her for her friend’s safety. Lena was the type of person to push herself beyond her skill level, and Kara wasn’t sure if that trait limited itself to science-related activities.

Lena jumped as a wave slammed into her, soaking her torso and even the tips of her hair in chilly sea water.

“Kara!” she cried enthusiastically through the sound of the waves, twisting her neck and shading her eyes with her hand, to make contact with her friend in the distance.

Kara was grateful for the distance between them, as her fingers curled involuntarily and she froze in her place. Lena’s black bathing suit hugged every soft curve and edge of her body, while narrow slits on the sides allowed a hint of her pale skin to peek out towards the sun. Kara resisted the desire to run at super speed towards Lena’s now giggling figure, standing soaked in the sea foam, forcing herself to maintain an average pace.

“Lena,” Kara spoke her name once more, in calmer tone, once she only a few steps away.

“You scared me,” Kara admitted a few seconds later, “Can you swim?”

“Of course!” Lena replied confidently, a bit taken aback. Her swimming skills were not amazing, but Lena refused to admit it. As though to prove her point, Lena took a deep breath and dove smoothly under the water, relishing in the sensation of her hair flowing freely behind her and the momentary immunity from gravity.

Lena gasped, her head breaking the surface of the water. Wiping the water from her eyes with care, she looked up at Kara and grinned widely: “And will you join me?”

Kara didn’t hesitate, and plunged her head vertically under the surface of the shimmery water, Lena following moments later.

Kara gracefully swam horizontally under the surface of the water, opening her eyes for a second to marvel at the colourful fish and bright-green clumps of weeds. After swimming a number of metres from the coastline, she felt her breath begin to strain and she returned to the surface for more air. Turning her legs in circular motions to keep afloat, she glanced around to see where Lena had ended up. When, after a few quick glances she was unable to locate her friend anywhere above the water nearby, Kara felt her chest strain with sudden panic.

She didn’t waste a second before diving back under the water, this time with her eyes firmly planted open, using her x-ray vision to scan the water for signs of Lena. Near one of the rocks, a bit deeper than she was now, Kara located Lena struggling against the force of a group of tough weeds, which had intertwined themselves firmly around one of her ankles. Kara channeled all of her power, reaching Lena and releasing her ankle from the grasp of the weeds in less then a second.

Kara hugged Lena’s body to her waist and carried them swiftly towards the shore - she tried to not move too quickly, but felt herself struggling against her need to protect Lena and move her towards safety at lighting speed.

Once they reached the beach Lena finally opened her eyes, gasping desperately for air and coughing. She wasn’t underwater for too long, not long enough to be seriously injured, but still discomforted. Kara kept her hand firmly around Lena’s waist.

“That was mildly terrifying,” Lena finally spoke, her eyes staring off into the distance.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Kara looked carefully into Lena’s eyes for signs of distress, her eyebrows crinkled in worry.

“Oh Kara, don’t worry, I’m fine,” Lena brushed off Kara’s concern airily. “That was in no sense the worst I’ve experienced. Getting thrown off of a building was far more nerve-wrenching. Plus, I knew you’d save me.” Lena added, leaning closer into Kara’s torso.

Just as before, Kara felt a cold-wave of pure panic wash her from head to toe. _Was Lena saying she knew it was me who saved her both of those times?_ She racked her brain for any hint, or mistake, that could’ve lent to Lena arriving at that conclusion.

Lena’s face remained neutral, still staring straight ahead scrutinizing the horizon, as though it held some essential but not yet disclosed information.

The past few minutes alone had shown Kara a lot about her feelings for Lena. Not that she was unsure about them until this moment, but she was shaken by their now-revealed intensity. The possibility of losing Lena, or her being hurt in any way had sent Kara into an unparalleled emotional frenzy, unlike anything she had ever experienced. The second she lost sight of Lena in the water, Kara’s mind had jumped to extremes while her heart pounded in her chest, and she concluded that she simply couldn’t lose Lena in her life. She brightened every moment of her day, whether she was physically present or not. The thought of her laugh, eyes, smile, had on many occasions given Kara the support and encouragement she needed to fight harder, make the world a better place.  Kara had previously written these moments off as mainly physical attraction - _I mean, her unworldly physical beauty was undeniable,_ Kara ruminated - but these past few minutes had exposed it as far, far more than that. _Kara wanted her around for as long as Lena was alive. She wanted a life with her, she wanted to go through the years side by side, facing whatever challenges came their way together. Always._

Lena’s voice interrupted Kara’s thoughts: “Maybe I’ll stick near the shore next time,” Lena glanced back at where the weeds that had entangled her were located, giving them her most menacing glare.

Kara laughed and leaned her head into Lena’s shoulder: “I’m sure it’ll take more than a few plants to bring down Lena Luthor.”

 

* * *

 

They spent the majority of the afternoon in the water or laying out on the rocks that jutted out from the waves when they needed a break, until Lena’s skin started to take on a pinkish hue.

Kara touched the pinkish skin of Lena’s shoulder lightly, watching as it quickly turned white and then faded back to pink. 

Lena felt her shoulder sting, and reached for her sunscreen compulsively.

“Do you want to grab something to eat and head back?” Kara suggested, assuming Lena, who had a normal human energy level, must be exhausted. They had arrived in Italy no more than 24 hours ago, after all. Not to mention she was getting sunburnt, despite her careful application of sunscreen.

“That sounds perfect,” Lena smiled, relishing the last few moments by the beach.

They quickly packed up, and Lena grabbed a light grey cover up from her bag and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders to protect them from the glaring sun, which had only seemed to become stronger as the day progressed.

The rushed through a late dinner, and caught the last ferry back to Sorrento.

Lena looked out from the railing of the boat longingly as the lush island became smaller and smaller. Sensing her disappointment at leaving, Kara gave Lena a hug to her shoulders, and allowed her hands to rest there.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the day,” Kara spoke softly close to Lena’s ear, destroying all previous intentions of this being a purely friendly exchange. “Despite the hazardous seaweed incident.”

Lena nodded, leaning back into Kara’s safe arms. “Even a near drowning couldn’t ruin a day like that,” she joked.

Kara continued, “I was hoping you would.”

“You planned this,” Lena stated, hints of surprise in her voice.

Kara nodded affirmatively, and began to explain herself.

“Well, after it came up at a number of our brunch dates how much you love the water and how you used to love swimming - but clearly not sand -” Kara interjected, “I thought a surprise was in order. This trip just gave me the perfect chance. I just switched around the plans a bit, cancelled some of Mon-El’s planned activities, found a beach I knew you’d like… Next time I’ll be sure to clear the sea floor entirely so it poses no danger.”

Kara tried to act casual, allowing her voice to fade off naturally. She didn’t want Lena to know how much work planning this whole day had been - from calling the boat company in Italy discreetly while they were in Paris, navigating the language barriers and poor phone connection, trying to get a refund for the initial plans, and then finally, after countless phone calls and internet searches, finalizing the plans.

Lena refused to allow the tears she could feel were welling up in her eyes to form. _I can’t believe someone would do this for me_ , Lena thought in disbelief.

“There’s no limit to what I would do to make you happy” Kara said, rubbing her thumb slowly on the top of Lena’s shoulder, as though she could read Lena’s thoughts. “You deserve it.”

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day proceeded in a flurry. Since Sorrento and Capri were only stopovers, Lena and Kara had to quickly pack up their things to catch their bus to Positano. They arrived in Positano late into the night, or early into the morning, checked into their hotel and flopped down on the bed.

“Too. Tired. To move.” Kara moaned, covering her head with a plush pillow.

“We haven’t eaten in a while,” Lena said, “I’m going to go pick us something up at the hotel bar.”

“Try to get pot stickers if they have them!!” Kara called back, immediately perking up at the mention of food.

Lena rolled her eyes teasingly, and left the room.

Unsure of how much time she had before Lena returned, and in desperate need of a talk with her sister, Kara quickly picked up her phone and facetimed Alex. She crossed her fingers as the phone rang, hoping her sister would pick up. It was only 8pm in National City, if things weren’t too busy at the DEO, Alex was probably just getting off work and maybe even already at home.

Her phone crackled and a blurry image of her sister appeared on the screen.

“Alex!” Kara called excitedly.

Alex smiled and gave her a small wave.

“Hey there little Danvers,” called another figure behind her sister, who was standing at the stove.

“Hi Maggie!” Kara waved towards the screen. “Sorry am I interrupting your dinner?”

“Nope, it’s all good,” Alex reassured her, “we’ll set up the computer on the table and it’ll be like you’re right here with us.”

“Awww,” Kara clasped her hands over her chest, “I miss you guys!”

“It’s only been a week,” Alex reminded her. “Plus, I would’ve thought by now you’d have completely forgotten about us, I can imagine Lena is pretty distracting and you guys are busy.” Alex took a sip from her beer bottle, closely watching her sister’s expression.

“I’d never forget about you guys! Kara exclaimed. “But, actually, you’re not entirely wrong,” she admitted bashfully. “Something happened between Lena and I. That’s actually what I really need to talk to someone about, I don’t have much time, Lena just went downstairs to get us second dinner.”

“Second dinner?” Alex looked at her in disbelief. “Have you guys become the same person in the span of a week?”

Kara brushed off Alex’s comment.

“Spill Danvers,” Maggie’s voice grew louder as she walked towards Alex’s computer.

“It’s really nothing…we just hooked up a little bit our last night in Paris.” The last words tumbled out of Kara’s lips quickly, and she buried her face in her hands briefly out of embarrassment. _Why did Alex always have to be right?_

“But is it nothing?” Alex asked seriously, aware that her sister was likely trying to downplay the whole situation.

“Not to me!” Kara emphasized, wishing she could work up the nerve to be this straightforward with Lena. “But I’m not sure how Lena feels…and then last night we just kind’ve decided to hold off on this whole relationship? Situation? I’m not sure what to call it. Anyway, we decided to hold off until we get back to National City and can talk.”

“How do you feel about that?” Alex prodded gently.

“I don’t know,” Kara said. “It’s hard to move backwards, especially when there’s this…I guess connection between us, (Kara noticed Maggie’s slight smirk despite the poor quality of the video and choose to ignore it) but I know that decision makes everything easier in the long term.”

“I haven’t told her yet about me being Supergirl,” Kara lowered her voice to a whisper. After a silent pause Kara spoke again, in a timid voice: “I’m afraid to lose her Alex.”

“Honestly, if you want my opinion, choosing to hold off on this development in your relationship until you get back was the right decision. I know you want to tell her right now, about Supergirl, but personally I think you should wait until you’re both in a familiar and more stable environment. I support you telling her. Lena can definitely be trusted, that’s not the problem. You still have to spend the next week together,” Alex reminded Kara gently.

“I know,” Kara sighed. “It’s so hard though Alex.”

Kara suddenly heard footsteps approaching the bed.

“Kara, could I take you out for dinner tomorrow night, to talk?”

Kara jumped, she was so distracted by her and Alex’s conversation that she hadn’t even heard Lena return from picking up food. _How much had Lena overheard?_ Kara pondered nervously, upset at herself for not being careful or paying better attention. Especially with super hearing, there was no excuse.

“I’ve got to go Alex, Lena’s back. I’ll talk to you soon.” Kara ended the video call abruptly.

Lena stood in the doorway, unmoving; with an opaque expression that Kara couldn’t even begin to interpret.

_She knew._

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the (extremely) delayed update. I was on vacation, and then SDCC happened and I didn't feel like writing... but updates should be regular now! 
> 
> Thank you to @theofficialalicemunro for reading this over!

****“So, you meant a date tonight?” Kara confirmed, rolling over on a white beach towel to face her friend.

Lena nodded, leaning back on her own towel and supporting her torso with her arms. The tips of her hair were still stringy and damp from the morning of swimming.

“I found the perfect restaurant,” Lena gushed, shifting to sit cross-legged.

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled, continuing to talk about how amazing the menu looked.

Kara studied her eyes, trying to assess the meaning or nature of tonight’s date. Last night Lena had made no mention of her and Alex’s conversation; they simply ate their food while watching a trashy history channel documentary and went to bed. Well, Kara had gone to bed at least. Lena stayed up, working late into the night replying to the emails she had been ignoring the last few days and briefing her assistant in preparation for a few meetings that morning. Kara was becoming increasingly nervous as dinner approached, wishing she knew if this was a casual “I wanted to try a new restaurant as friends” date, a “we need to have a serious conversation” date, or something, anything else…

Lena’s eyes looked tired but content, Kara evaluated.

 

* * *

  

“Here it is,” Lena gestured towards a small door at Kara’s left.

Kara cheered to herself, holding the door of the restaurant open allowing Lena to walk through first. She was so incredibly hungry, since they had (somehow) forgotten about lunch during their day at the beach. Time seemed to pass faster, somehow, when you were lying next to who Kara thought was undisputably the most beautiful person alive. She had an excuse for being so distracted.

As Kara entered the door of the restaurant just after Lena, she finally understood why Lena had such an unreasonably-excited glimmer in her eye when discussing their dinner plans earlier. The patio of the restaurant was in perfect sight of the main Positano beach where they’d swam earlier, with its turquoise sea water. The area was sheltered from the sun by a canopy of white fabric and light wooden trellises.

Lena confidently followed the waiter as he led them towards their table, Kara lingering slightly behind. Her attire for this date was not what Kara expected; her tight pencil skirt and swept up hair made her seem like CEO Lena Luthor once again, a figure who was becoming less and less like the Lena she knew.

“As you requested,” the waiter spoke in a heavy Italian accent, gesturing to a two-person table nestled into twisted vines at the front of the patio. The blue of the ocean peaked through breaks in the thick vegetation.

“This is perfect thank you,” Lena assured him, sitting down and smiling brightly at Kara.

“What will you have to drink?”

Lena eyed Kara, “you go ahead.”

“Oh, I’ll just have whatever you’re having,” Kara said, adding a hand gesture for the sake of informality. _There was no way Lena would approve of my elementary opinions on alcohol._

“A bottle of the 2014 Vestini Campagnano Terre del Volturno Pallagrello Bianco please,” Lena requested, with perfect Italian pronunciation.

The waiter nodded, “yes, of course,” and left in the direction of the indoor restaurant.

“White wine from the South of Italy is gaining a newfound fame in the past few years,” Lena added, leaning towards Kara across the table. “At least according to the latest Italian wine conference in National City.”

Kara couldn’t contain a laugh. “You go to a yearly Italian wine conference?” She asked in disbelief.

“Why of course,” Lena replied, with an air of mock-surprise. “It’s undeniably the best day of the year.”

“I love how all-too-busy Lena Luthor can take a day out of her schedule for wine tasting,” Kara started to joke as well. “I don’t feel as bad for whisking you away for 2 weeks now.”

“Don’t tease,” Lena said, still smiling. “If you take it seriously you may have the privilege of being my guest this year.”

As she spoke those last words, Lena reached over and gently retwisted a strand of Kara’s hair that had broken out of the tight side twists that Kara had unsuccessfully attempted to secure earlier.

Unable to hide her flustered expression fast enough, she met Lena’s eyes bashfully before quickly shielding her face with the menu. She didn’t know how to act anymore, after the events of this past week, how to respond to these initiations of physical contact.

Kara began scanning her eyes rapidly over the menu to distract herself. Horrified, she realized it was all in Italian, the dishes nearly a sentence of text each. Her nervousness from earlier resurged, as she realized that she had no idea how, or what for that matter, to order. Even though it wasn’t established as such, this felt like a first date, and Kara wanted to impress Lena with her refined mannerisms. Kara chortled lightly at the ridiculousness of that last thought.  

“Do you want me to order for you?” Lena interrupted her racing thoughts, noting the fear forming across Kara’s face. “I’m fairly confident I have a good enough handle on your food preferences by now.”

Kara nodded enthusiastically, wide-eyed and relieved.

The waiter returned at that moment with a bottle of white wine in a metal container of ice. He poured a tablespoon or so in Lena’s glass, waiting for her approval of its taste before continuing to fill their glasses.

“May I take your orders?” He requested.

Lena replied, listing two dishes that Kara couldn’t hope to decipher. She only caught fettucine, which was a good sign. _Pasta was always a good sign._

The waiter left and they were alone once again. The restaurant was still nearly empty, only a few other couples were scattered throughout the patio, and their location in the corner, sheltered by the vines, gave them a lot of privacy.

Lena kept her eyes firmly on Kara as she brought her wine glass up to her face, taking a small sip, her eyes playful.

“So, tell me a bit about yourself.”  
  
Kara groaned, laughing. “This isn’t a first-date, we can really skip the awkward questions and forced small-talk.”

“Isn’t it a first date, though?” Lena raised her eyebrow, waiting for Kara to reply.

“I don’t know,” Kara frowned. “I thought we wanted to wait until we got back to National City.”

“To establish what exactly our relationship is,” Lena clarified. “I think dinner is ok.”

“Dinner is very much ok,” Kara reassured her. “It’s just, if I knew this was a first date, I would’ve, you know, maybe practised a bit of Italian so I could actually read the menu, tried harder to keep my hair in place..”

“But those are the sort of things that make you Kara,” Lena explained, “And you are endearingly wonderful because of them.”

Kara smiled, “that’s probably the best compliment I’ve ever received.”

“Are you ok with this, this being a first date?” Lena’s voice grew quiet, more vulnerable.

“Yes,” Kara stated clearly, affirmatively, so there was no doubt in Lena’s mind. “Waiting until we got back to National City was getting hard,” Kara admitted.

“Maybe after all this time, I don’t want to wait anymore.” Lena added quietly, looking into her wine glass.

At that moment, the waiter returned with two plates of food. “I’m sorry, for the - uhm,” he searched for the word, “- speed, we aren’t very busy tonight.”

“It’s completely fine,” Lena replied, shifting to sit up straighter in her seat.

The waiter placed a rice dish in front of Lena and a creamy looking pasta with mushrooms in front of Kara.

“There wasn’t any choice without vegetables,” Lena explained apologetically.

Kara laughed lightly, “this is perfect. What did you get?”

“A lemon risotto with mint,” Lena explained, “Risotto is one of my favourite dishes but it’s incredibly difficult to make well.”

They ate in comfortable silence, save for some light conversation about plans for their final days in Europe, both of them mulling over their previous conversation.

By the time the waiter came to take their plates, Kara’s mushrooms had ended up discreetly on the side of her plate.

They sat at the table, finishing the last drops of the bottle of wine, as the sun slowly moved lower in the horizon.

“This is incredible Lena,” Kara breathed, watching the orange light turn to darkness.

“I even really enjoyed the wine, and I can’t normally find alcohol I actually enjoy, not just tolerate.”

Lena simply nodded in response, captivated by the unfolding sunset in front of them.

Still unspeaking, she suddenly turned towards Kara with an intense, and dark gaze.

Putting her hand firmly over Kara’s she spoke eight words, which would influence the course of the rest of the night:

“It’s our last night, in Positano, you know.”

 

* * *

  

In the distance, seemingly far, far away, Kara heard her phone go off with the ringtone reserved for DEO business.

As Lena’s lips ran down her chest, she forced herself to speak, groaning internally: “I’m really sorry but I have to take this call.”

Lena shifted off Kara’s torso in response, allowing Kara to swing her legs off of the bed and stand up.

“As long as you return soon.” Lena spoke, looking up at Kara from the bed, one of the straps of her dress having fallen by the wayside.

She forced herself to break away to take the call.

Kara stood by the door, far enough that Lena wouldn’t hear the entire conversation, but not to make it look like she was hiding anything. Kara grimaced at that last thought.

“Alex, is that you?” Kara held the phone to her ear, listening intently.

“Kara,” Alex replied without hesitating. “You have to come back. Now. I wouldn’t ask unless it was absolutely necessary.”

“What’s going on?” Kara replied, her voice raising its volume as adrenaline started coursing through her body, in preparation to move on the spot.

“Do you remember Bizzaro? From last year, how we placed her in the DEO -”

“- Yes yes Alex I remember” Kara interrupted, inpatient and anxious.

“Well she’s escaped. Downtown. No one’s hurt yet, James and J’onn have it covered, but not for much longer. We need you.”

Kara’s mind flashed back to Lena, waiting in her bed. For her, Kara, to return.

“What do I tell Lena?” Kara asked in a pained whisper.

“I don’t know Kara,” Alex replied shortly, clearly distressed. “You’ll have to figure something out. I’m sorry.” Alex hung up the phone before Kara could reply.

“NO,” Kara let out a contained yell, and started pacing around the doorway. _There was only one option,_ Kara thought, _that would stop all of the lies._ _Any other option would simply proliferate the already twisted web of lies around her and Lena’s relationship._

Kara walked back towards the bed with all of the confidence she could muster. Lena was still lying on the bed, her content smile faltering as she surveyed Kara’s distress.

“What’s wrong?” Lena asked, sitting up quickly.

“Lena, uhm, there’s something I need to tell you.” Kara spoke slowly, already feeling her composure and confidence crumble.

She had no choice but to continue.

“There’s something I need to tell you…” Kara repeated, “that I probably should’ve told you a long time ago, before we went on this trip.”

Lena looked into Kara’s pained eyes, studying her in silence.

“I would never hurt you intentionally,” Kara pleaded, feeling her face grow hot and eyes prickly with tears. “I hope you know that, no matter what happens next.”

“What are you talking about?” Lena asked, her eyes narrowing out of confusion.

Kara clasped her arms together and closed her eyes firmly. There was no easy way out of this now. If she waited any longer people back in National City could get hurt, if they hadn’t already.

“I’m Supergirl.” She finally spoke in a whisper, her eyes still closed.

“Ok,” Lena replied. “So I’m guessing you need to go back to National City now?” Lena asked measuredly. “That was someone on the phone calling for Supergirl?”

“Yes…” Kara replied slowly, internally shocked at her friend’s composure. She expected shock, anger… _but outbursts weren’t really Lena’s mode of coping_ , Kara reasoned.

“Well you best be going then and save the people of National City, Supergirl,” Lena replied sardonically, standing and walking over to sit in the desk chair far from the bed, intentionally placing space between her and Kara.

Lena sighed out of tiredness and stress, placing the tips of her fingers on her forehead. “I need some time Kara.”

“I can fly you back with me, to National City,” Kara offered shyly, wishing she could do more to soothe the pain and mistrust in Lena’s eyes.

“I’m fine Kara. Flying freely in the air sounds worse than a plane and honestly, I need some space from you right now to think.” Lena’s fingers lingered on her temple, trying to soothe her now pounding head.

“I would never hurt you.” Kara reiterated meekly.

Lena didn’t reply.

Kara broke herself away from Lena, changed into her super suit and opened the window. “I have to leave. I’ll be there whenever you want to talk,” Kara spoke, standing up straight and speaking firmly so she wouldn’t falter.

Kara took one last look at Lena’s face, shadowed in darkness, and lept out of the open window. As she speed over Europe, quickly reaching the Atlantic Ocean, she tuned in to Lena’s heartbeat back at the hotel, a sound that usually soothed and grounded her. Not this time. This time, she could feel the pain and anger in each pulse. Kara sped up, moving faster through the sky, trying to lose the thoughts swirling in her head, reminding her that this pain and anger was utterly her doing. Despite her efforts, those thoughts remained her companion as she finally spotted the bright lights of National City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I know in the past chapters I’ve set it up as though Lena already knows. I’m not moving away from that, even though this chapter may seem like I have. Everything will make sense in the next chapter, I promise! 
> 
> Find me at @mtheherbivore on tumblr


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